All Souls College, Oxford

“they tested fellowship candidates by serving them cherry pie and seeing what they did with the stones”

Founded in 1438 in the reign Henry VI by Archbishop Henry Chichele, to pray for all Christian souls departed in the 100 year war between the English and the French, and the King and his family of course.

All Souls is, in a sense, Oxford’s most exclusive college, unique in having no undergraduate students and a centuries-old tradition of electing Fellows through what is allegedly “the world’s hardest exam.”

Architecturally, it is a masterpiece of the great Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of England’s most celebrated baroque architects. He designed the expansive addition to the medieval Front Quad in the early 18th century. His dramatic twin towers are among the most recognisable silhouettes in Oxford and I suspect may have inspired the quidditch pitch of Harry Potter’s world. They certainly have a fairytale quality about them.

All Souls Codrington Library is another Hawksmoor creation and one of the most majestic libraries of the University, a wonderful sight of it is enjoyed at dusk and one can see inside from Radcliffe Square. Views inside the library are only possible at certain times of the year and require careful planning.

Notable Fellows include Christopher Wren, T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), historian A. L. Rowse, philosopher Isaiah Berlin, and many leading judges, diplomats, and scholars. The College is associated with high scholarship and public service.

In the photographs you will spot ducks. They refer to an old All Souls tradition, an eccentric tradition that occurs once a century that is quite silly and lurks beneath the college’s famously serious reputation, the sort of thing that could only happen in Oxford.

We recommend incorporating a visit to All Souls into an afternoon of any of our Oxford Overview or Introductory Tours, the bespoke day tour or Harry Potter Lite.

The college’s tranquil atmosphere and golden limestone is at its most striking in the afternoon when small groups are regularly allowed to visit. Always check online before making your travel plans.