Radcliffe Camera

This distinctive circular building is a beautiful piece of classical architecture and one of Oxford’s most iconic sights. Built independently of the Bodleian, it’s named after the royal physician, John Radcliffe who had left money in his will to purchase land, build a library, purchase books, and pay a full-time librarian. The camera, simply meaning ‘room’, was built 1737 – 1749 and designed by the leading architect James Gibbs. With its growing collections, the Bodleian took over the Radcliffe Camera in 1860 to expand its book storage facilities.