The Radcliffe Camera (or 'Rad Cam') in Radcliffe Square was constructed in 1737-49 from a design by James Gibbs. The building, with one of the largest domes in Britain, is named after Dr Radcliffe, the Royal Physician at the time, who put up all the money for its construction. The Camera housed scientific books until a separate Radcliffe Science Library was founded near the University Museum in 1861; Theology, History and English Literature are the principal subject areas for the books kept in the building at present. As the Radcliffe Camera is a reading room of the Bodleian Library, it is not open to the public.
The Bodleian Library (the 'Bodley' or 'Bod') has legal deposit status, which entitles it to claim a free copy of every book published in the UK and Eire. It also purchases major foreign works, and finding space to store its vast, varied and ever-expanding collection is an ongoing problem. The solution has often been to build underground stores, and there is one under the lawn on the North side of the Radcliffe Camera with space for one million volumes. It now has out-of-town book depositories too.
The Old Buildings of the Bodleian Library are close to the Radcliffe Camera in Catte Street, and the New Buildings are just beyond on the corner of Broad Street and Parks Road (looking somewhat like a prison). The Old and New Buildings are linked by an underground passage to allow books to be easily transferred between the buildings. An exhibition of some of the Library's treasures is always on view in the Divinity School. Admission to these buildings is as follows:
Old Schools Quadrangle & Bodleian Library Gift Shop
Free entry. 09:00 - 17:15 Mon-Fri, 09:00 - 16:45 Sat, closed Sun
Exhibition Room
Free entry. 09:00 - 17:00 Mon - Fri, 09:00 - 16:30 Sat, closed Sun
The Divinity School
£1, or £2 with a short talk; free to under 14s. 09:00 - 16:30 Mon - Fri, 09:00 - 16:30 Sat, closed Sun.
Guided Tours
Opposite the Old Bodleian is Hertford College (tel 01865 279400), the buildings of which are linked by a photogenic covered bridge (constructed 1913) across New College Lane, known locally as the Bridge of Sighs (after the Venetian original on which it is based).
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