Bodleian Library
One of Europe's oldest libraries and a legal deposit library of Britain. The fan-vaulted ceiling of the Divinity School is breathtaking.
The Bodleian Library was refounded and opened in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley. Like the British Library, it has the right of legal deposit and holds over 13 million items. Visitors can enter the Old Schools Quadrangle freely, where the doors around the courtyard still bear the names of former academic subjects. The Divinity School, built in the 15th century, is Oxford's oldest teaching building. Its intricate stone fan-vaulted ceiling served as the filming location for the Hogwarts hospital wing in Harry Potter. It requires a separate ticket.
To enter reading rooms such as Duke Humfrey's Library, you must join an official guided tour (lasting 30 to 90 minutes, by reservation). Photography is prohibited in the reading rooms, and visitors must keep quiet. Across the street, the Weston Library offers free exhibitions and a gift shop.
Opening hours
Old courtyard approx. 09:00–17:00; seminary and tours per official website
Nearby sights
- Radcliffe Camera
- Sheldonian Theatre
- Bridge of Sighs, Oxford
- History of Science Museum, Oxford
- University Church of St Mary the Virgin
- Turf Tavern
- Covered Market, Oxford
- New College, Oxford