Central · Founded 1555
St John's College
It pairs the elegant Laudian Canterbury Quad with one of Oxford's loveliest and largest college gardens, a grand and quiet contrast to busy St Giles' outside.
The college
A closer
look.
St Giles', central Oxford
Founded 1555. Founded by Sir Thomas White, a London merchant tailor and Lord Mayor, on the site of the earlier Cistercian St Bernard's College; it is traditionally reckoned Oxford's wealthiest college.
A Tudor front quad opens to the 17th-century Canterbury Quad, built under Archbishop William Laud with Italianate arcades and bronze statues of Charles I and Henrietta Maria by Hubert Le Sueur, all set beside celebrated landscaped gardens.
On the same walk
Closest to
this one.
On a visit
Don’t miss.
- 01Canterbury Quad with Laudian arcades and Le Sueur bronzes
- 02Extensive landscaped gardens
- 03Medieval front quad and old library
- 04Reputation as Oxford's richest college
Connected to
Notable
names.
- Tony Blair (former UK Prime Minister)
- Philip Larkin (poet)
- Kingsley Amis (novelist)
- Robert Graves (poet and author)
Before you go
Visiting St John's College
Open to Public (Limited Hours). Published visitor access: 13:00–17:00 or dusk, whichever is earliest; chapel, closed Wednesdays, 13:30 until close. Admission: Free. College events, services and exams can still close areas at short notice.
Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the official site before you travel.
- Founded
- 1555
- Area
- St Giles', central Oxford
- Type
- College
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