Historic Heart of Oxford University, The

The book explores the history of Oxford University's buildings, tracing their growth over eight centuries and their impact on the city's architecture and intellectual life. It focuses on the gestation, creation, and subsequent history of individual buildings, relating them to the University's intellectual and institutional developments and broader themes in architectural and urban history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2022
Publisher: Bodleian Library

Oxford's university buildings are renowned worldwide, with a history spanning over eight centuries, beginning in the twelfth century. The University, the third-oldest in Europe, gradually expanded, creating a distinctive townscape that includes iconic landmarks such as the Bodleian Library, the Sheldonian Theatre, and the Radcliffe Camera. This captivating book delves into the growth of the "forum universitatis," as architect Nicholas Hawksmoor termed it, and explores its connection to the broader history of the University and the city. Drawing upon the latest scholarship and the author's extensive research into Oxford's architectural heritage, as well as the works of renowned architects like Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor, James Gibbs, and Giles Gilbert Scott, each of the eight chapters focuses on the conception, creation, and subsequent history of a single building or pair of buildings. These chapters contextualize these structures within the evolving intellectual and institutional life of the University and shed light on broader themes in architectural and urban history. Accessible and richly illustrated with detailed plans, archival prints, and specially commissioned photography, this book appeals to anyone with an interest in understanding and appreciating Oxford's unparalleled architectural heritage.

Weight: 1056g
Dimension: 219 x 256 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781851245284