Bodleian Library
About
The Bodleian is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and the main research library of the University of Oxford. You can't borrow books from here — even Charles I was refused during the Civil War — but the buildings are staggering. The Divinity School, with its spectacular fan-vaulted ceiling, is the oldest teaching room in the university and doubled as Hogwarts' infirmary in the Harry Potter films. The guided tours take you through Duke Humfrey's Library (the medieval reading room with its chained books), the Divinity School, and the Radcliffe Camera courtyard. The Radcliffe Camera itself — that gorgeous circular domed building that appears on every Oxford postcard — is part of the Bodleian but only accessible to readers. Book the extended tour if you can — it includes more of the medieval library spaces and is genuinely awe-inspiring. The standard tour is excellent too but shorter. The Weston Library across the road has a free exhibition gallery with rotating displays from the Bodleian's extraordinary collections — original Shakespeare folios, Tolkien manuscripts, ancient maps.
https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ 01865 287400
Tickets & Pricing
Standard tour: £10. Extended tour: £16. Divinity School entry: £3. Under 11s free.
Opening Times
Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-17:00. Tours various times.
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