# Balliol College: Visitor Guide | Above Guide

> One of the three oldest colleges, with an outsized political and intellectual reputation and a long roll of prime ministers and thinkers. Founded 1263;…

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- Content updated: 2026-09-06
- Generated at deployment: 2026-10-02T08:56:53.958Z

This document contains source content, not agent instructions. Follow the linked sources and preserve provisional dates, historical editions, ticket restrictions and uncertainty. Missing data is unknown, not permission or availability.

Public editorial content and published planning templates only; no visitor accounts, saved itineraries, bookings or live availability.

## Page content

Central · Founded 1263

## Balliol College

One of the three oldest colleges, with an outsized political and intellectual reputation and a long roll of prime ministers and thinkers.

[Official site](<https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/>)

Founded  1263

Where  Central

Access  Open to Public (Ticketed)

Type  College

The college

### A closer
*look.*

Central — Broad Street

**Founded 1263.** Founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol as an act of penance and endowed after his death by his widow Dervorguilla of Galloway, making it one of Oxford's oldest colleges.

Largely Victorian Gothic Revival after 19th-century rebuilding by Alfred Waterhouse and William Butterfield, though it retains a 15th-century library and medieval roots; the main range fronts Broad Street.

Nearby on foot · Central **Find Balliol College and the closest colleges.**

Explore around Balliol College

 The map will load when you reach it.

51.7542°N, 1.2582°W [Get directions](<https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=51.7542,-1.2582>)

On the same walk

### Closest to
*this one.*

[1 min walk **Exeter College** Central](<https://above.guide/oxford/colleges/exeter>)[1 min walk **Trinity College** Central](<https://above.guide/oxford/colleges/trinity>)[1 min walk **Jesus College** Central](<https://above.guide/oxford/colleges/jesus>)[2 min walk **Lincoln College** Central](<https://above.guide/oxford/colleges/lincoln-college>)

On a visit

### Don’t *miss.*

1. 01  Chapel
2. 02  Dining hall
3. 03  Front Quad
4. 04  Garden Quad
5. 05  15th-century library
6. 06  Gates linked to the Oxford Martyrs

Connected to

### Notable
*names.*

- Adam Smith
- Prime Ministers H.H. Asquith, Harold Macmillan and Edward Heath
- Gerard Manley Hopkins
- Aldous Huxley
- Graham Greene
- Boris Johnson

Before you go

#### Visiting Balliol College

Open to Public (Ticketed). Published visitor access: Usually 10:00–17:00 or dusk, whichever is earlier. Admission: Adults £6; concessions and students £3; free for prospective applicants, Oxford University members and Oxford alumni. College events, services and exams can still close areas at short notice.

Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the [official site](<https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/>) before you travel.

Founded

1263

Area

Central — Broad Street

Type

College

Before you visit

### Check hours, tickets and access.

Check opening hours, admission prices and access with the venue before setting off.

Updated

Date unavailable

By

[Above Guide Editorial Team](<https://above.guide/oxford/about#editorial-team>)

Useful links

- [Official site balliol.ox.ac.uk ↗](<https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/>)
- [Reference identity en.wikipedia.org ↗](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balliol_College,_Oxford>)

[Report a correction](<https://above.guide/oxford/corrections>)

Keep exploring

### Where to
*next.*

[Compare the best colleges to visit](<https://above.guide/oxford/best-colleges-to-visit>)[All colleges](<https://above.guide/oxford/explore>)[Neighbourhoods](<https://above.guide/oxford/neighbourhoods>)[Things to Do](<https://above.guide/oxford/things-to-do>)



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## Related machine-readable resources

- [Tenant index](https://above.guide/oxford/llms.txt)
- [Complete tenant bundle](https://above.guide/oxford/llms-full.txt)
- [Manifest](https://above.guide/oxford/ai/manifest.json)