Radcliffe Camera

The building

Construction began in 1737 and finished in 1748, paid for from the estate of the physician John Radcliffe, who left £40,000 for a library in Oxford. Gibbs gave it a heavily rusticated base, paired Corinthian columns above and a lanterned dome on an octagonal drum. Inside the upper reading room stands a marble statue of Radcliffe by John Michael Rysbrack.

A working library

The original collection moved out in the 1860s and the building became part of the Bodleian Library. It now holds mainly secondary reading for undergraduate and graduate courses, linked to the main Bodleian by a tunnel beneath the lawn to the north. Because it is a working reading room, it is not generally open to the public.

Seeing it well

Radcliffe Square is the place to start: walk the full circle of the building, then look across to the Bodleian's Old Schools Quadrangle and All Souls. For the classic view from above, the tower of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin overlooks the square. Early morning is the quietest time for photographs before the day's crowds arrive. Bring a camera with a wide lens if you can: the square is compact, and the full sweep of the dome is hard to fit in from close up.

Highlights

• England's earliest circular library, completed 1748
• Designed by James Gibbs and funded by John Radcliffe's bequest
• Still in use as a Bodleian Library reading room
• Centrepiece of Radcliffe Square

Good to know

• The interior is a working reading room and not generally open to the public; check the Bodleian's tour options if you want to go inside.
• The best overview of the dome is from the tower of the University Church next door.

Frequently asked questions