Exploring Oxford: A Guide To Seeing Radcliffe Camera

The Radcliffe Camera is a building at the University of Oxford, England, designed by James Gibbs in a Baroque style and built between 1737 and 1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. It is not open to the public, except for those on library guided tours, which cost £18 and only run three times a week. The building is linked to the Bodleian Library by the underground Gladstone Link, which is wheelchair accessible. The Radcliffe Camera is home to the History Faculty Library and two reading rooms, with space for around 600,000 books in rooms beneath Radcliffe Square.

The Radcliffe Camera is not open to the public

The Radcliffe Camera is a building of the University of Oxford, designed by James Gibbs in a Baroque style and built between 1737 and 1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. It is located in Radcliffe Square, in the heart of Oxford, and is one of the city's most well-known landmarks. The building's circularity and its position in the centre of Oxford make it the focal point of the University.

The library was funded from the estate of John Radcliffe, a physician who left £40,000 upon his death in 1714. Radcliffe was a member of parliament, a scientist, and a physician to William III and Mary of England. He stipulated in his will that a library must be built with the money he left behind. Today, the Radcliffe Camera is the main reading room of the Bodleian Library, housing some of the library's collections, including a fraction of the English Literature collection.

It is a working library, part of the central Bodleian Library complex

The Radcliffe Camera is a working library and part of the central Bodleian Library complex. It is not open to the public, except for those on library guided tours. It is home to the History Faculty Library (HFL) and houses some of the Bodleian Library's collections, such as a fraction of the English Literature collection. It is linked to the Bodleian Old Library by the underground Gladstone Link, which is accessible via a platform lift located on the other side of the rotunda.

The Radcliffe Camera is a Grade I-listed building in Oxford, England, and is one of the most celebrated buildings in the city. It was built between 1737 and 1749 and is 140 feet tall, with a dome that is the third largest in the UK. The building was designed by James Gibbs in a Baroque style and is the earliest example in England of a circular library. The circularity of the Radcliffe Camera, its position in the heart of Oxford, and its separation from other buildings make it the focal point of the University of Oxford.

The library's construction and maintenance were funded by Dr John Radcliffe, a physician who left £40,000 upon his death in 1714. Radcliffe intended to build a library in Oxford at least two years before his death, and the new building was constructed to hold scientific and general books for the University. The library was initially independent from the Bodleian Library, with a primary focus on natural history and medical books. However, in 1860, the Radcliffe Library was taken over by the Bodleian Library and the building was renamed the Radcliffe Camera.

The Radcliffe Camera has step-free and lift access to the lower reading room and the upper floor of the Gladstone Link. There is also ramped access to the powered entrance doors and a fixed induction loop at the enquiry desk in the lower Camera.

The only way to see inside is by taking a guided tour

The Radcliffe Camera is a beautiful and iconic building in Oxford, designed by James Gibbs in the 18th century. It is not open to the public, but if you want to see inside, you can take a guided tour.

The Camera is a working library, part of the Bodleian Library complex, and access is reserved for Oxford students and people with a Bodleian Libraries reader's card. However, you can take a 90-minute guided tour of the Bodleian Library, which includes the Radcliffe Camera and the underground Gladstone Link that connects the two buildings.

The tour costs £18 and runs three times a week: on Wednesdays at 9.15 am, Saturdays at 10.15 am, and Sundays at 11.15 am. You can book online up to two weeks in advance or try your luck for a ticket on the day at the Great Gate ticket office inside the older Bodleian Library building. Please note that the tour involves stairs and there is no wheelchair access. Children under 11 are not admitted.

The Radcliffe Camera is a stunning example of Baroque architecture and is one of Oxford's most well-known landmarks. It was built between 1737 and 1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library, funded by the estate of John Radcliffe, a physician who left £40,000 in his will for the construction of a library. The building features a spectacular dome, the third largest in the UK, and houses two reading rooms and an underground library with over half a million books.

So, if you want to see inside the Radcliffe Camera, be sure to book the guided tour in advance to avoid disappointment!

The building is Grade I-listed

The Radcliffe Camera is Grade I-listed, the highest grade of significance, denoting special architectural or historic interest. It is considered to be of national importance and therefore worthy of protection. The building is an example of English Baroque architecture, designed by James Gibbs and built between 1737 and 1749. It is England's earliest example of a circular library.

The Radcliffe Camera is 140ft tall and topped by a spectacular dome, the third-largest in Britain. The dome is covered in lead, as is the cupola. The building was constructed using local stone from Headington and Burford, with the lower storeys built in Headington freestone and the upper part in Taynton stone. The ground stage is heavily rusticated and has a series of eight pedimented projections alternating with niches. The central stage is divided into bays by coupled Corinthian columns supporting the continuous entablature. The pedimented windows stand above mezzanine openings, reflecting the interior arrangement.

The interior of the Radcliffe Camera features a six-foot marble statue of John Radcliffe, carved by John Michael Rysbrack. The building houses the History Faculty Library and is home to the Upper Reading Room, which holds resources on history, art, archaeology, and anthropology, and the Lower Reading Room, dedicated to English literature and theology. The Radcliffe Camera is not freely open to the public, but guided tours are available.

It was designed by James Gibbs in a Baroque style

The Radcliffe Camera, a building of the University of Oxford, was designed by James Gibbs in a Baroque style. Gibbs was a Scottish architect born in 1682. He trained as an architect in Rome and practised mainly in England. His architectural style incorporated Palladian elements, as well as forms from Italian Baroque and Inigo Jones. He was trained under the Baroque master Carlo Fontana, which set him apart from the Palladian school.

The Radcliffe Camera was built between 1737 and 1749 and is 140 feet tall. It was initially built to house the Radcliffe Science Library, which was funded by Dr John Radcliffe, a physician who left £40,000 upon his death in 1714. The library was first built to hold scientific and general books for the University, though these collections were eventually moved to other libraries within the University, such as the New and Old Bodleians. The library's construction and maintenance were funded from Radcliffe's estate.

The building's dome, the third largest in the UK, is what makes the Radcliffe Camera so recognisable. The lower part of the building was constructed from Headington freestone, while the upper section was made from Tayton stone. The dome was designed with a symmetrical, repetitive pattern in a typical Palladian style. The construction used local stone from Headington and Burford, which was then ashlar-faced. The dome and cupola are covered with lead.

The Radcliffe Camera is not open to the public, except for those on library-guided tours. It is now home to the History Faculty Library and houses some of the library's collections, such as a fraction of the English Literature collection.

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