Nuffield College

Nuffield is one of Oxford's most intellectually distinguished colleges and one of its most architecturally puzzling. Founded in 1937 with money from Lord Nuffield (William Morris, the car manufacturer — not the Arts and Crafts designer), it was built on the site of the old canal basin near the railway station. The architecture, a peculiar Cotswold-style pastiche completed in the 1950s, was meant to blend with Oxford's older buildings. It doesn't, quite, but the tower and pool in the lower quad have a certain mid-century charm.

What Nuffield lacks in medieval atmosphere it makes up for in brainpower. With only about 90 students and 60 fellows, it has one of the highest fellow-to-student ratios of any college in the world. The social science research produced here — in economics, politics, and sociology — is consistently world-leading. It was the first Oxford college to admit both men and women, and the first graduate-only college. None of which gives you much reason to visit as a tourist, but if you're walking from the train station into town, the lower quad is visible from the road and worth a glance.

What makes it special

Nuffield's significance is intellectual rather than visual. It's a think tank dressed as a college, and the calibre of its fellows and alumni in the social sciences is notable. The library is well stocked (if you can get access). The architecture is a love-it-or-hate-it proposition — the fleche (spire) on the tower was described by one critic as looking like a melting candle, which isn't entirely unfair.

Visitor info

Nuffield is on New Road, between the castle mound and the railway station. The lower quad is sometimes accessible, but the college doesn't actively encourage casual visitors. Check the college website for any public events or lectures. No admission charge when open. The location makes it a natural stop if you're arriving by train — it's the first college you'll pass walking into town.