As part of Oxford Preservation Trust's Open Doors weekend, Pembroke will open to the public for guided tours.

Come along to explore over 400 years of stories held within our charming quads, dating from the 15th to the 21st century.

Admission on a tour will be on a first-come-first-served basis, at the following times:

Saturday 13th September

• 11.30am
• 12.30pm

Sunday 14th September

• 10.30am
• 11.30am

Spaces are limited, so we recommend arriving early to secure a spot.

Find out more about Oxford Open Doors and what's on here.

Guided tours will start with the Old Quad, which was built over the remainder of the 17th century with Broadgates Hall in its North-West corner. Its colourful window boxes give it a character and charm distinctive from other Oxford quads. In the corner you will see the recently unveiled memorial to JRR Tolkien, who spent 20 years at the College as Professor of Anglo-Saxon, during which time he wrote The Hobbit and much of Lord of the Rings. The quad was also home to Pembroke’s most famous alumnus, dictionary-writing Samuel Johnson, who took up residence above the main gateway in 1728.

The tour will then take you into Chapel Quad to see the richly decorated 18th-century Chapel, the 19th-century Dining Hall, and then on to the unassuming North Quad which encompasses the now closed Beef Lane and the ‘other side’ of the 17th and 18th-century houses on Pembroke Street.

On the south side of Chapel Quad sits a bridge built over the medieval city wall and Brewer Street to connect our newest development, the 21st-century Rokos Quad. Housed here is the collection of medals and trophies awarded to Sir Roger Bannister, famous for breaking the 4-minute mile at Iffley Track in 1954 and who was Master of the College from 1985-93.