The Canterbury Quadrangle is one of the quadrangles of Christ Church,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It stands on the site of the former Canterbury College. A Brief History of Christ Church p.8 On the west side is

Christ Church Library Christ Church Library is a Georgian building that forms the south side of Peckwater Quadrangle in Christ Church, Oxford, England. To the east is Canterbury Quadrangle. The library houses the college's modern lending library and early printed b ...

, whose north façade completes the four sides of

Peckwater Quadrangle The Peckwater Quadrangle (known as "Peck" to students) is one of the Quadrangle (architecture), quadrangles of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, Oxford, England. It is a Grade I listed building. Christ Church Library is on the south side of ...

. On the east side is Canterbury Gate with access to

Oriel Square Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square, Hibbert, Christopher, ''The Encyclopedia of Oxford''. London: Pan Macmillan, 1988, pp. 295–296. . is a square in central Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathed ...

and

Merton Street Merton Street is a cobbled street in central Oxford, England.Merton Street< ...

. The

Christ Church Picture Gallery Christ Church Picture Gallery is an art gallery located inside Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The gallery holds an important collection of about 300 Old Master paintings and nearly 2,000 drawings. The ...

is accessed through staircase 4 in the south range, originally designed to house the college's most noble undergraduates. Designed by Philip Powell &

Hidalgo Moya John Hidalgo Moya (5 May 1920 – 3 August 1994), sometimes known as Jacko Moya, was an American-born architect who lived and worked largely in England. Biography Born 5 May 1920 in Los Gatos, California, US, to an English mother and Mexican ...

in 1968, the exterior of the Picture Gallery cannot be seen from within Canterbury Quadrangle, as it is partially sunk into the Deanery garden behind. The original quadrangle was created 1632 to 1636 by a group of masons from London led by John Jackson and Robert White. Canterbury Quadrangle was redesigned by the architect

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the Neoclassicism, neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to ...

(1746–1813), in a style similar to the neighbouring Peckwater Quadrangle, and was completed in 1783. The money needed to build the quadrangle was donated to the college by

Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby (1708 – 10 October 1794), was an Anglo-Irish churchman. Life He was a younger son of William Robinson (died 1720) of Rokeby, Yorkshire and later of Merton, Surrey and Anne Walters (died 1730), daughter a ...

, Archbishop of Armagh. The quad is

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. As an undergraduate at Christ Church from 1828, future

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he was Prime Minister ...

lived in a "leisured set" in Canterbury Quadrangle.

References

Christ Church, Oxford Grade I listed buildings in Oxford Parks and open spaces in Oxford Courtyards Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford {{Oxfordshire-geo-stub

See also

References