Central · Founded 1624
Pembroke College
A quietly handsome college opposite Christ Church, rich in literary heritage as the Oxford home of Samuel Johnson and of J.R.R. Tolkien.
The college
A closer
look.
Pembroke Square, off St Aldate's, central Oxford, opposite Christ Church
Founded 1624. Founded in 1624 under a charter of King James I, endowed by the bequests of Thomas Tesdale and Richard Wightwick and named after William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, then Chancellor of the University.
Ranges from the 17th-century Old Quad and Chapel Quad to a striking modern expansion, the Rokos Quad (2013), reached by a bridge across Brewer Street.
On the same walk
Closest to
this one.
On a visit
Don’t miss.
- 0117th-century Old Quad
- 02College chapel
- 03Modern Rokos Quad linked by a bridge over Brewer Street
- 04Samuel Johnson associations and memorabilia
Connected to
Notable
names.
- Samuel Johnson
- J.R.R. Tolkien, Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor here, who wrote much of The Hobbit as a fellow
- James Smithson, founder of the Smithsonian Institution
- Michael Heseltine
- Senator J. William Fulbright
Before you go
Visiting Pembroke College
Restricted Access. Published visitor access: Not open to the public; visits from other guests may be arranged by appointment in some cases. Admission: No public admission charge published. Confirm arrangements before travelling.
Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the official site before you travel.
- Founded
- 1624
- Area
- Pembroke Square, off St Aldate's, central Oxford, opposite Christ Church
- Type
- College
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