Christ Church Library

The most likely candidate for the architect is Dr George Clarke of All Souls; the master mason was William Townsend/Townesend.

However, a bequest of paintings from General John Guise during the protracted construction of the library led to the enclosure of the ground floor to display them.

The Christ Church Picture Gallery has since moved to a separate, modernist, building.

The collections incorporate substantial bequests of books from, amongst others, Robert Burton; Henry Aldrich, Dean of Christ Church; William Stratford, a canon of the cathedral; William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury; and Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery.

The library also hosts exhibitions; these have ranged from the art and photography of Lewis Carroll (curated by Edward Wakeling, Allan Chapman, Janet McMullin and Cristina Neagu) to a commemoration of Johann Joachim Winckelmann (curated by Amy Smith, Katherine Harloe and Cristina Neagu).

Christ Church Library.
The front elevation and plan.
The baroque interior, from Rudolph Ackermann 's History of Oxford (1813).