Balliol College

Balliol College stands on Broad Street in central Oxford, its oldest parts dating from the 15th century. The front quadrangle still shows the medieval hall on its west side and the old library above the Senior Common Room. A fine oriel window marks the Master’s Dining Room, once the Master’s Chamber. To the east, the college spreads along Jowett Walk and Holywell Manor, a separate site now fully part of Balliol. Founded in 1263 by John de Balliol, it claims to be the oldest college in the English-speaking world. The college’s reputation rests on its long line of distinguished scholars and leaders. Among its alumni are 13 Nobel Prize winners and four British prime ministers. Balliol pioneered the PPE degree in the 1920s, a course that shaped many public figures. Its fellows include current holders of chairs such as the Beit Professor of Commonwealth History and the Montague Burton Professor of International Relations. The college has also produced the first American master and the first female master, Dame Helen Ghosh. Visitors enter through the front quadrangle where the medieval hall now serves as the new library. The old library, above the Senior Common Room, holds manuscripts collected by Bishop William Grey in the 15th century. Beyond the quadrangle, paths lead to Jowett Walk and Holywell Manor, where co-education began in 1979. Portraits in hall mark milestones, including the first woman since Dervorguilla of Galloway and benefactor Dame Stephanie Shirley. The college’s long history remains visible in its stone walls and quiet gardens.