Balliol College
Balliol College Arms
(7) Balliol College stands on the corner of Broad
Street and the street E. of St. Mary Magdalen church-yard. The walls generally are of local Oxfordshire
stone and the roofs are slate-covered. The college
was founded by John Balliol of Barnard Castle and
Devorgilla his wife between 1263 and 1268. There
is mention of the building of a chapel of St. Catherine
in 1327–8 but its position is uncertain. The Old Hall,
now the New Library, is said to have been built by
Thomas Chace, Master (1412–23), or alternatively by
William Grey, Bishop of Ely (1454–78), and George
Neville, Archbishop of York (1465–76). Bishop
Grey seems, at any rate, to have built that portion of
the Master's Lodging which adjoins the Hall on the S.
These two buildings form the W. range of the Front
Quadrangle. The Library building on the N. side of
the same quadrangle was built, as to its W. part, by
the same Thomas Chace in 1431 when Chancellor of
St. Paul's, and, as to its E. part, by Robert Abdy,
Master (1477–90). A new chapel was built at the
E. end of the N. range between 1520–30. The
Bristol Buildings, towards the S. end of the front towards
Magdalen Street, were built in 1714, and the adjoining
Fisher Buildings at the S.W. angle of the site in 1769.
The remainder of the buildings date from the 19th
century and include a block to the N. of Bristol Buildings in 1826, Salvin's Buildings and a new block at
the N.W. angle of the front quadrangle in 1852–3,
the new Chapel in 1856–7 on the site of the old chapel,
the S. range of the front quadrangle with most of the
Master's Lodge in 1866–8 and the new hall and other
buildings on the N. side of the Garden Quadrangle
from 1873 to 1877, when the hall was opened. This
part incorporates a 17th-century domestic building.
The Warren Buildings at the N.W. angle were built
in 1905.
Architectural Description—The Front Quadrangle
(Plate 68) (125 ft. by 78½ ft.) is entered by a gatehouse in
the S. range, which was entirely re-built, with the E. range,
in 1866–8. The Old Hall (55 ft. by 27½ ft.), now the
New Library, forms the N. part of the W. range and
is of early to mid 15th-century date. It is ashlar-faced
and finished with a modern embattled parapet; the
bays are divided on both sides by two-stage buttresses, with a string-course on the E. face, terminating
in carved figures against the window-jambs; in
each bay is a more or less restored window of two
cinque-foiled and transomed lights with a quatrefoil in
a two-centred head with moulded reveals and label
with defaced stops. The S. window on the E. side
is entirely modern and in this bay there was formerly
a doorway opening into the screens-passage; this
doorway is that now re-set in the S. wall of the N.
range. The former screens-doorway in the W. wall
still remains and has moulded jambs, two-centred head
and label. The interior was entirely remodelled before
1816 when the passage was transferred to the N. end of
the building and again in 1853, when the hall was
lengthened northwards. At the W. end of this passage
is re-hung a 15th-century door, formerly in the S. gate, of
two leaves with moulded rail, frame and ribs forming
vertical panels. The S. end of the range forms part of
the Master's Lodge; the ground-floor was formerly the
buttery. On the E. face, the lower windows are modern
but on the first floor is a much restored 15th-century orielwindow with a moulded and quatre-foiled base resting
on three panelled cones and corbels and finished with
an embattled parapet; the face has two windows each
of two cinque-foiled ogee lights with a quatrefoil
in a square head; each return has a similar window;
the corbels are modern but bore and still bear shields-of-arms of William Grey, Bishop of Ely. The interior
of this block has been entirely modernised but the
windows of the Master's Drawing Room, on the first
floor, contain some re-set late 15th and 16th-century
glass; in the tracery of the oriel-window is a roundel
with the word Ihu., two with the word mc~i, and another with a sun; in the S. window are the following
shields-of-arms, (a) Horne quartering Crowche, Fabian
and Flaxall (?), (b) France and England quarterly
with a label, (c) Ravenscroft (for Norreys) and
Montfort of Beaudesert, fessewise impaling Sherland,
(d) Montagu and Monthermer quartering Neville with
a label gobony, for Archbishop Neville, (e) Russell and
De la Tour quarterly quartering Herring, Froxmere
and Wise (f) Beauchamp quartering Newburgh, all
partly restored; over the door are fixed three 17th-century oak cartouches-of-arms.
Balliol College
The N. Range is mostly occupied by the Old Library
built in 1431 and c. 1477. It is ashlar-faced and has a
modern embattled parapet. The S. face has a re-set
15th-century doorway with moulded and shafted
jambs, two-centred arch, ogee crocketted label, side-shafts and pinnacles; the doorway at the N. end of
the cross-passage has moulded jambs, four-centred
arch and label. The other doorways and windows
on the ground floor are modern. The library, on the
first floor, has eleven partly restored 15th-century
windows on the S. side and ten on the N., each of two
cinque-foiled and transomed lights with vertical tracery in
a segmental-pointed head with a label. Inside the range,
a room at the W. end on the ground floor has a late 17th-century panelled overmantel with scrolled foliage, fruit
and flowers; above the doorways are cornices with
carved foliage and flowers. The library was modernised
internally by Wyatt in 1792. In the windows is a
considerable amount of re-set heraldic glass as follows—
on N. side, (a) Abdy, (b) Grey, Bishop of Ely, (c) Stanhope alias Longvillers, (d) Erdeswick impaling Stafford
with an inscription "Thomas Erdeswik Margaret Staford
1338", (e) Archbishop Neville as shield in the
Master's Lodge, (f) old see of York impaling the
same, (g) City of London, (h) Beauchamp quartering
Newburgh; (i) John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, (j) Archbishop Neville, (k) Chace, (1) Oxford University,
(m) Richard Clifford, Bishop of London, (n) Eglesfield (?), (o) Percy impaling Neville, for Henry 2nd
Earl of Northumberland, (p) France quartering England, (q) Roger Whelpdale, Bishop of Carlisle, (r)
Skelton, (s) Wombwell (?), (t) Barry (?); on S. side,
(a) Skipton quartering Curzon(?), (b) France
quartering England, (c and d) blank, (e) Balliol,
(f) Dalton, (g) John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester, (h) Snarby, (i) Bishop Grey of Ely, (j)
Abdy, (k) Walter Skirlaw, Bishop of Durham,
(1) Robert Hallam, Bishop of Salisbury, (m) Percy,
(n) Neville, (o) City of York, (p) Pembridge, (q)
Merton Priory?, (r) See of Salisbury, (s) the
Trinity, (t) symbols of the Passion; in the tracery
of the windows are rayed roses, columbines, rosetrees, portcullis, etc.; all 15th-century except (d) on
N., 18th-century. In a window in a passage at the
W. end of the library are some miscellaneous pieces
including shields with late 15th-century figures of
Zephaniah and a saint and two inscriptions. At the
E. end of the library are preserved portions of carved
woodwork from the former screen of the chapel;
they include a pediment with a cartouche-of-arms of
Sir John Popham, angels and a figure of St. Catharine,
all of c. 1635–40. The 17th-century W. door has
raised panels and a tympanum of pierced strapwork.
The Chapel was entirely re-built in 1856–7, apparently
with the re-use of old ashlar on the internal faces of the
walls; it contains the following earlier Fittings—Glass:
in E. window (Plate 74)—re-set but mostly parts of the
former E. window given by Lawrence Stubbs, S.T.P.,
in 1529 and representing various scenes of the Passion
and Ascension with donors and saints; in tracery,
fragmentary figures of kneeling man, angels and a
bishop and initials L.S. and R.S. for the donor and his
brother Richard; in main lights, four ranges of subjects, beginning at the top (a) probably the Betrayal,
(b) the road to Calvary, (c) the Crucifixion, (d) the
arrest of Jesus, (e) the Ascension; in second range,
(f) the Agony in the Garden, (g) the crowning with
thorns, (h) the Ecce Homo, (i) the Resurrection; in
third range, (j) St. Lawrence, with a shield-of-arms of
Stubbs, (k) the Scourging, (1) Pilate washing his
hands, (m) the Virgin with the dead Christ, (n) a
bishop holding a child, with the Stubbs rebus; in
fourth range, (o) angel holding shield of Stubbs with
remains of inscription below "[Orate pro anima
magistri Laurentii] Stubbs sacre theologie professoris
[et] istius Collegii [specialis benefactoris qui hanc
fenestram procuravit sumptibus suis] An. Dni. 1529",
(p) kneeling figure of Lawrence Stubbs in gown with
his initials and the date 1529, (q) jumble of various
figures, etc., (r) kneeling figure, of Richard Stubbs,
(s) angel with a shield of Balliol. In two first windows
on N. side and in two windows at W. end—glass by
Abraham van Linge, given by Richard Atkins and Peter
Wentworth in 1637, glass formerly in two windows
each of four lights; in N.E. windows (Plate 76),
the sickness and recovery of King Hezekiah, king in
large canopied bed with various attendants and, in
the westernmost light, a crowd of figures outside the
palace with city in background; at bottom inscription
"Petrus Wentworth sacrae theolo[giae professoris]
et hujus [Collegii] Socius, D.D. 1637" and small inscription "Abraham van Linge fecit 1637"; in tracery,
portions of main subject; in western windows (Plate
76), the baptism of Candace's eunuch; in N. window, St.
Philip preaching to the eunuch seated in his chariot
and in S. window the actual baptism; in N. window,
small panel with the artist's inscription; in tracery,
shields-of-arms of Wentworth and Atkins, and angels.
In third window on N.—collection of panels, etc.,
mainly early 16th-century, (a) the Virgin kneeling
before the Child, (b) kneeling figure of man in surplice,
amess and cap with fragments of inscription recording
gift of window by [John Hygden], President of Magdalen, 1530, (c) shield-of-arms of Compton quartering
Aylworth, Wykwan and Vannal (d) do. of Brereton quartering Berkeley and Belhouse (?), (e) kneeling
figure in gown and hood and eight other figures with inscription of 1431 referring to Thomas Chace, (f)
kneeling figure of Sir William Compton with tabard of
arms and two other figures probably sons, (g) kneeling
figure of man, similar to (b), with remains of inscription
recording gift of window by [Thomas Knolles], subdean of York, 1530; also a 17th-century panel with
figures and dislocated inscription recording gift by Richard Atkins. In fourth window on N.—collection of
panels, etc., mainly early 16th-century, (a) St. Michael
and the dragon, (b) St. John the Baptist, (c) the Virgin
and Child, (d) St. Anthony, much made up, (e) male
saint with book, (f) St. John the Evangelist, (g) St.
Margaret with the dragon, also various smaller and some
later fragments. In first window on S. (Plate 75)—six
scenes from the martyrdom of St. Catharine, of early
16th-century date—(a) the saint kneeling before the
wheel, (b) in prison with gaolers and angel at barred
window, (c) bound to a column and scourged, (d)
seated and holding sword and book, (e) executed
with a sword, (f) entombment by three angels. In
second window on S.—fragments and seven panels
with figures, partly made up and consisting of 16th
and 17th-century work—(a) bishop with nimbus,
(b) composite figure, (c) jumble of fragments with
man's head, (d) St. Lawrence, incomplete, (e) St.
Edward the Confessor, (f) possibly St. Mary Magdalene, (g) crowned and nimbed abbess with book.
Lectern: (Plate 24) of brass with eagle standing on ball,
moulded stem and base resting on three lions; on ball,
achievement-of-arms and inscription "Donum Eduardi
Wilson SS. TH. Bacc. et Collegii Baliolensis Socii",
also two shields-of-arms of Balliol, c. 1635. Pulpit:
of five sides with Corinthian columns at angles, supporting strapwork-cornice, on each face, two panels,
upper with perspective-arch treatment, c. 1630–40,
cornice modern.
On the E. side of a small courtyard to the N.W. of
the Garden Quadrangle is an early 17th-century
building of three storeys, incorporated in modern
buildings. The W. face is timber-framed but extensively restored; the upper storeys both project
and the top storey has two small gables with enriched
barge-boards. Inside the building, the first floor
room is lined with panelling of c. 1700 and the fireplace
has a moulded surround of the same period. Re-set
in the Common Room under the New Hall is some
panelling of c. 1630–40 from the old chapel made up
with modern work. It is divided into bays by single
or coupled pilasters and has some enriched panels.
In the garden, N. of the Old Library is a feature made
up of stonework said to have come from the old chapel
and including a door-head with quatre-foiled spandrels
and plain shields, carved bosses and shields-of-arms
of the see of York and the old see of York impaling
the traditional arms of St. William, Balliol, etc.
Re-set in the wall to the E. are various other fragments
including corbels, bosses etc. with some shields-of-arms, including the see of Durham.
The Bristol Buildings, facing St. Mary Magdalen
church, were built in 1714. The building is ashlar-faced and of three storeys with a modern attic-storey;
the E. front has square-headed windows with architraves and cornices; two bays of the front are finished
with pediments. The W. front is of three main bays
with a cornice and central pediment; the stonework
was refaced in 1826. The S. staircase, in the range, is
original and has twisted balusters and close strings.
The Fisher Buildings of 1769 are ashlar-faced and of
three storeys with a central pediment on the S. front.
They were refaced in 1877.
Condition—Good.