New College

New College hasn't been new since 1379, but it remains one of the most architecturally complete medieval colleges in Oxford. William of Wykeham designed it as a single coherent plan — chapel, hall, cloisters, and quad all built together — and that unity still shows. Where most colleges grew piecemeal over centuries, New College arrived fully formed. The cloisters are genuine Harry Potter filming locations (the scenes where Malfoy gets turned into a ferret), but they were atmospheric long before the films existed.

What to look for

• The Cloisters — A covered stone walkway around a peaceful garden, barely changed since the fourteenth century. Used as a Harry Potter filming location. Visit late afternoon when the light comes through at an angle.
• The City Wall — New College is built against Oxford's medieval city wall, and a long stretch of it runs through the college gardens. It is a well-preserved section of wall in the city and most Oxford residents have never seen it, since it's only visible from inside the college grounds.
• The Chapel and its El Greco — The ante-chapel holds Epstein's unsettling Lazarus sculpture and a genuine El Greco painting of St James. The main chapel has been over-restored (the Victorians got at it), but the misericords on the choir stalls are original fourteenth-century carvings — look for the ones depicting everyday medieval life.

Visiting

New College is open to visitors for a small charge. Enter from New College Lane (the narrow passage off Queen's Lane — easy to miss). The college website has current hours. The gardens are at their best in summer, with a large mound that offers views back over the quad. During university term, access may be restricted to afternoons only.