Green Templeton College

Green Templeton College sits on Woodstock Road in North Oxford, centred on the Radcliffe Observatory. The observatory, built in the 18th century and modelled on the Tower of the Winds in Athens, was one of Britain’s earliest purpose-built observatories. Completed in 1773, it remains a fine example of Georgian scientific architecture. The college itself was formed in 2008 by merging Green College and Templeton College, making it Oxford’s second newest graduate college. Its grounds include the restored observatory and surrounding residential buildings arranged around two quadrangles. The college specialises in subjects linked to human welfare and social, economic, and environmental well-being. Green College, founded in 1979, focused on medicine and social sciences, while Templeton College, established in 1965, centred on management and business leadership. The merger created a graduate college with a distinctive academic profile and a strong tradition of interdisciplinary work. Green College was named after Cecil H. Green and his wife Ida, whose benefaction helped establish the college. Sir Richard Doll, its first Warden, made groundbreaking discoveries linking smoking to lung cancer. Visitors find the Radcliffe Observatory as the college’s focal point, with its dining and common rooms housed inside. The E. P. Abraham Lecture Room and residential accommodation surround the Lankester and McAlpine quadrangles. The grounds also include William Osler House, used by clinical medical students for social and sporting activities. Templeton College’s former site at Egrove Park features a modernist building with landscaped grounds, including designated wildlife areas and woodland walks. The college’s coat of arms combines the rod of Aesculapius with a nautilus shell, symbolising its heritage in medicine and management.