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Hertford College

Hertford College

Hertford College
4.5
About
Founded in 1282 by Elias de Hertford, this Oxford College has educated many leading figures in British life over the centuries including John Donne, the 17th-century poet, Thomas Hobbs, political philosopher, and Jonathan Swift, famous satirist.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles41 reviews
Excellent
24
Very good
15
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Julie P
Reading, UK2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Had a lovely vegan afternoon tea in the courtyard cafe for ÂŁ20. There were options for traditional afternoon tea or cakes etc too as well as glasses of bubbly or local beer. A beautiful setting in one of the smaller colleges. Well placed for lots of the central places of interest - Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, Bridge of Sighs...
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CNAS
Chico, CA133 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012
Be sure to ask the porter if you can go into the chapel and see the Tyndale stained glass window that is dedicated to Bible translators throughout history. Really beautiful.
Written September 29, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

34Doris
Oxford, UK133 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Business
The entire college once collapsed - no one was injured, since the sole occupant was an insane Fellow, who thought he was made of cheese. Now actually a rather pretty college, with the much admired Bridge of Thighs across Turl Street. Evelyn Waugh studied here, but was rusticated for apple-pieing the Principal's bed.
Written February 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KLE2013
Centreville, VA3,486 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Family
With its main gate on Catte Street across from the Bodleian, Hertford's buildings were originally built for Magdalen Hall. Hertfordwas formally incorporated in 1874. The two wings on the front were joined by a hall over the gate by the architect Sir Thomas Jackson, who also designed the "Bridge of Sighs" over New College Lane that united the two quads of Hertford. The author Evelyn Waygh was an undergraduate at Hertford during the 1920's and his actual rooms on the first floor of the first quad on the north west corner were used in the filming of his classic Brideshead Revisited novel, when Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons). Is a student at Oxford. Do take the time to discover this hidden gem among the many jewels of Oxford.
Written November 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

donyarosa
Giri Nagar, India40 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2014 • Family
It was a really nice college. The building, the Quad and even the students are friendly and polite. The Bridge of Sighs is really a landmark and since it is very close to Bodleian Library, it was convenient. The evensong at New College though is a really must do when you are in Oxford.
Written May 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gillian L
Ambleside, UK199 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
Sadly during these days of Covid the Oxford colleges are closed to public access but Hertford College and the Bridge of Sighs was a definite highlight. It is very well located being opposite the school of divinity (an absolute must) and the Bodleian Library.
Written November 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

familybeckett2
Retford, UK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2018
Friendly staff who could not have been more helpful
It is in the centre of Oxford ideal situation for all the sites
Written January 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Margherita_Lover
Geelong, Australia881 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2019
Like so many of Oxford’s colleges presents amazing facade, history and so much to absorb the eye wherever you look.
Written January 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

futtock21
London, UK17,269 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Solo
'As the Hart Panteth After the Water Brooks' is a translation of the bizarre motto for Hertford College Oxford. This text otherwise features in a motet by Herbert Howells. The history of this college is distinctly odd too, being the only one to have been dissolved only to be born again a generation or two later. This it was that Hertford Hall established in 1282 became Magdalen Hall in 1448 before being dissolved in 1816 before a second Magdalen Hall was incorporated as Hertford College in 1873. Arguably its most famous undergraduate was Evelyn Waugh who re-imagined his time here in Brideshead Revisited. There are three quads: Old housing the chapel and the college library whose most famous book is an original copy of Hobbes' Leviathan; New which contains the Octagon incorporating a 16th century church and an Indian Institute; Holywell dating from 1975. Even the Bridge of Sighs resembling its namesake in Venice is not a late medieval remnant because constructed in 1914.
Written June 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Citallwic
Columbia, SC8,764 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Friends
Hertford College is definitely underpublicized as a tourist attraction. We saw the Bridge of Sighs, but were not really primed to see and enjoy anything else. Perhaps it was a mistake to just hurry on over to the Bodleian Library after barely a glance at Hertford, but that’s what we did.

Hertford’s Catte Street façade is impressive, but difficult to photograph if you don’t have a high vantage point and good light. I managed to get one decent street level shot from a point near Radcliffe Camera (see photo).
Written October 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Hertford College - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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