Guide to Trinity College, Oxford

Sir Thomas Pope established Trinity College in 1555. It began as a small Catholic community comprising clergy, fellows, and scholars, utilizing the existing structures of the medieval Durham College.

The college formally opened on Trinity Monday in 1556. It occupied the surviving buildings and wooded grounds of the medieval Durham College, which had structures dating from between 1286 and 1417.

During the presidency of Ralph Kettell, who oversaw the expansion and rebuilding of the medieval complex for 44 years, Kettell Hall was officially opened in 1615.

Following a cellar excavation in 1618 that caused the collapse of Durham Hall, the college constructed the present hall and a new beer cellar as replacements.

After the English Civil War, President Ralph Bathurst worked to restore the college's fortunes, leading to the construction of new accommodations by Sir Christopher Wren and the opening of the Baroque chapel in 1694.

In 1882, the college changed its policy to allow membership to men regardless of their religious affiliation, marking a significant shift in its institutional culture.

Under the leadership of president John Percival, the college constructed the Jackson Building, which provided space for the college's first junior library in 1886.

Following the earlier expansion of campus facilities, the college further developed its academic infrastructure by adding engineering and chemistry laboratories in 1897.

The War Memorial Library was opened in 1928 to commemorate the 160 students and alumni lost during the First World War.