[3] Although founded in its current form in the 20th century, St Peter's occupies a central Oxford location on the site of two of the university's medieval halls.

[5] The history of the college in its present form began in 1923 when Francis James Chavasse, former Bishop of Liverpool, returned to Oxford.

[4] In 1947, St Peter's was reclassified as a 'new foundation', and was finally recognised as a full college in 1961 with the granting of a royal charter.

The building was originally commissioned by John Cramer, principal of New Inn Hall, as student accommodation and was designed by architect Thomas Greenshields.

It was bought by Reverend Talbot Rice, rector of St-Peter-le-Bailey, in 1897 and renamed after the Victorian missionary Bishop James Hannington.

[5] The quad was formed by the construction of an accommodation block designed by Sir Herbert Baker and Fielding Dodd behind the older buildings.

[12] The Central Girls' School to the South of the original site of the college was designed by Leonard Stokes and completed in 1901.

Other support facilities, including Fellow’s Rooms and an estates workshop and office, can be found on the ground floor.

The quad was officially opened on 15 June 2024 by the then Chancellor, The Rt Hon the Lord Patten of Barnes, KG, CH, PC.

[citation needed] St Peter's also has a few off-site accommodation blocks for students, a few minutes away from the main college site.

[citation needed] The student-run Junior Common Room organises a wide variety of social events throughout the academic year, ranging from formal events to celebrate such things as Burns Night (complete with haggis and poetry) to creatively themed parties that run into the early hours of the morning.

[17][18] The college has sports teams competing in rowing, cricket, football, hockey, rugby, and pool.

[citation needed] Taking the original name of the college, GWR 6959 Class steam locomotive no.