Welcome to Merton College, a vibrant and diverse intellectual community that has been at the forefront of education and research at Oxford University since 1264. Nobel Prize winners and other cultural and scientific leaders, such as TS Eliot, JRR Tolkien, and Andrew Wiles, adorn the list of eminent Mertonians. Merton’s tradition of excellence lives on, thanks to the talent and dedication of college fellows, students, staff and alumni.
Merton College, the first fully self-governing College in the University, was founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton, sometime Chancellor of England and later Bishop of Rochester. Mob Quadrangle, the oldest quadrangle in the University, was built in three phases: the Treasury c.1288-91, the north and east ranges and the Sacristy c.1304-11, and the Library on the south and west sides 1373-8. Mob Library is the oldest continuously functioning library for university academics and students in the world.
