The Radcliffe Camera Oxford University

The Radcliffe Camera, completed in 1749, is a striking circular library designed by James Gibbs in Palladian (Baroque-inspired) style, commissioned to house the Radcliffe Science Library using a bequest of £40,000 from Dr John Radcliffe. Nestled in Radcliffe Square between the Old Bodleian and St Mary’s, its prominent dome—one of Britain’s largest at around 140 ft tall—has become an iconic symbol of Oxford University. Since 1860, the building has served as a dedicated reading room within the Bodleian Library complex and today functions as the History Faculty’s main reading space