Established in 1870 as a memorial to the clergyman John Keble, a leading member of the Oxford Movement, Keble College (chapel pictured) remains distinctive for its neo-gothic red-brick buildings designed by William Butterfield.

The Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Lord Patten of Barnes, leaves the Sheldonian Theatre after the 2009 Encaenia. He was elected in 2003, and is the latest holder of an office that dates back to the early 13th century.

Tom Tower and Tom Quad of Christ Church. Construction of Cardinal College (as it was initially called) begun in 1529 under Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of York). He fell from King Henry VIII's favour before the college was complete, and the monarch refounded it in 1546 under its present name.

Old book bindings in the college library of Merton College. The college dates from the 1260s and is one of the contenders (along with University College and Balliol College) for the title of the first-established college. The oldest part of the library dates from 1373. The library holds approximately 70,000 volumes and 300 medieval manuscripts.

The Radcliffe Camera, as seen from the tower of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. The Radcliffe Camera, which is now part of the university's Bodleian Library, was built between 1737 and 1749 with money bequeathed by John Radcliffe. Designed by James Gibbs, it is the earliest example in England of a circular library.

Stained glass in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The chapel of Christ Church also serves as a cathedral for the Diocese of Oxford, a unique combination of university chapel and cathedral.

The chapel of Exeter College. The college was founded in 1314 by Walter de Stapeldon, the Bishop of Exeter. The chapel, designed by George Gilbert Scott, was built between 1854 and 1860, and its design was inspired by Sainte Chapelle, Paris.

The sundial pillar in the quadrangle of Corpus Christi College. The college, one of the smallest in terms of student numbers, was founded by Richard Foxe, the Bishop of Winchester, in 1517. The sundial pillar was added in 1581.

Magdalen College on May Morning. By tradition, revellers gather outside the college at 6am on 1 May (many having attended all-night balls and parties) and the college choir sings madrigals from the top of Magdalen Tower.

Hertford Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Sighs, at Hertford College. The bridge, designed by Thomas Graham Jackson, links the Old and New Quadrangles of the college, which are on opposite sides of New College Lane. It was completed in 1914.

The contemporary approach to the "dreaming spire" taken by the Saïd Business School. The School was established at the University of Oxford in 1996, and the buildings were completed in 2001.

A statue by Barbara Hepworth at St Catherine's College. Built in the 1960s to the design of the Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, the college's architecture has been highly praised.

The doorway of Campion Hall, one of the Permanent Private Halls of the University, run by the Society of Jesus. The buildings were designed in the 1930s by the architect Edwin Lutyens.

All Souls College, seen from the tower of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, was founded by King Henry VI in 1438. Uniquely at Oxford, the college does not have any students – only Fellows.

Part of the ceiling of the Divinity School. Built between 1427 and 1483 in the Perpendicular style, the Divinity School is Oxford's oldest surviving purpose-built building for university use.

The top of the Radcliffe Observatory, which was the university's astronomical observatory from 1773 until 1934. The building is now part of Green Templeton College.

The front quadrangle of Balliol College. Founded in 1263, Balliol's alumni include four British prime ministers: H. H. Asquith, Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath and Boris Johnson.

A winter view of Oxford from South Park on Headington Hill, to the east of the city.

A men's crew from Keble College training for Eights Week (the main inter-college rowing races). Rowing is a popular student sport at Oxford, even though most students will not have rowed before starting at Oxford.

Part of the Inorganic Chemistry building in the Science Area on South Parks Road. Oxford has the biggest school of inorganic chemistry in the UK and one of the biggest in the world.

Magdalen Tower, part of Magdalen College, stands above Magdalen Bridge. The college was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, and the tower was built between 1492 and 1509.

The tower of Magdalen College seen from the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Established in 1621 as a physic garden growing plants for medicinal research, it contains over 8,000 different plant species.

The interior of the college chapel of Merton College. The chapel replaced an earlier church on the site, with construction beginning in about 1290 and continuing into the 15th century.

Oscar Wilde was a scholar at Magdalen College from 1874 to 1878, obtaining a first-class honours degree in Literae Humaniores (classics).

Thomas More, who studied at Canterbury College, Oxford, was a leading counsellor to Henry VIII and served as High Steward of the University. He was imprisoned and beheaded in 1535 after he had fallen out of favour with the king over his refusal to sign the Act of Supremacy 1534.

The cloisters of New College. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, the college has educated distinguished names such as the author John Galsworthy, the legal philosopher H. L. A. Hart and the art historian Neil MacGregor.

The quadrangle of Pembroke College, with Tom Tower of Christ Church behind. Pembroke was founded in 1624 and named after William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, the Chancellor of the University. J. R. R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and two books of the Lord of the Rings trilogy when he was a Fellow of the college.

The spire of the chapel of Exeter College, pictured from Broad Street late on an October afternoon.

Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the exhibits on display at the Pitt Rivers Museum. Founded in 1884 by Augustus Pitt Rivers, the museum holds about 500,000 items donated to the University relating to archaeology and anthropology.

The Garden Quadrangle at St John's College, built between 1989 and 1993 by MJP Architects. The college was founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas White, a merchant and Master of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors. A number of buildings in modern styles have been added to the college since the 1950s.

Henry Compton, who studied at The Queen's College, was Bishop of Oxford from 1674 to 1676 and Bishop of London from 1675 to 1713. He was one of the "Immortal Seven" who wrote to William III, Prince of Orange (later William III of England) asking him to force James II of England to make his daughter Mary heir, rather than the newborn Catholic James Francis Edward Stuart.

A bumps race from the Torpids rowing regatta held each spring term between college crews. This 30-second video clip shows the Jesus College Boat Club Men's First Torpid bumping Hertford College in Hilary Term 1999.

Roger Bannister was the first to run a mile in under four minutes at the university's Iffley Road track; it was renamed the "Roger Bannister running track" in 2007. Bannister has links to three Oxford colleges: he studied at Merton and Exeter, and was later Master of Pembroke.

The course of the Boat Race on the River Thames in London; Oxford and Cambridge first rowed against each other in 1829, and the Boat Race has been held annually since 1856 apart from the two World Wars.

Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy Wadham using money bequeathed for this purpose by her husband Nicholas Wadham. The main quadrangle, seen here, was built 1610–13 to designs by William Arnold.

Unlike most other colleges at Oxford, the dining hall at Wolfson College does not have a separate High Table for the college's Fellows. Instead, they dine alongside the students, who are all carrying out postgraduate work.

John Henry Newman, a student at Trinity College and then a fellow of Oriel College, was a leading religious figure in the 19th century; he was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

Construction of the chapel of Wadham College began soon after the college was founded in 1610 and it was consecrated on 29 April 1613. The stained glass of the east window was added in 1622.

The dining hall of Balliol College was built in 1876–77 by Alfred Waterhouse, replacing an early 15th-century hall (which was then used as a library).

The hall on the east side of the first quadrangle of Oriel College. The college was founded in 1324; the hall dates from the mid-17th century.

The hall of Pembroke College (1848), designed by the architect John Hayward.

The Codrington Library of All Souls College, named after Christopher Codrington and completed in 1751

James Smithson (c. 1765 – 1829) studied at Pembroke College. He founded the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. in his will, but never visited America.

The towers of All Souls College, designed by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor (c. 1661 – 1736)

The War Memorial Garden of Christ Church

Tom Tower, the bell tower over the main entrance of Christ Church, was designed by Christopher Wren. It houses "Great Tom", which rings 101 times every night at 9pm Oxford time.

The Clarendon Building, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, was built between 1711 and 1715 to house the Oxford University Press. It is now part of the Bodleian Library.

The New Building of Magdalen College was meant to form part of a quadrangle, but only one side was completed. Edward Gibbon and C. S. Lewis had their rooms here.

Part of the wine cellar of Jesus College – not normally open to students or visitors!

The Fellows' Library of Jesus College dates from 1679 but some of the bookcases are even older. John Betjeman called it "one of the best little-known sights of Oxford".

The High Street facade of Brasenose College, founded in 1509

Talbot Hall, part of Lady Margaret Hall. LMH was founded by Edward Talbot in 1878 as the first women's college in Oxford.

The Griffiths Building of Linacre College. Founded in 1962 as a college for postgraduate study, Linacre was the first Oxford colleges to admit female and male students on an equal basis.

Lincoln College, which was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln.

The chapel of Mansfield College. It opened in 1886 as the first non-conformist college in Oxford, although it only achieved full college status in 1995.

The tower of Nuffield College contains the college's library. It was the first tower built in Oxford for 200 years and is about 150 feet (46m) tall, including the flèche on top.

The minaret of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, a recognised independent centre of the university. The building, in east Oxford, mixes Islamic and Oxford-style architecture.

The Divinity School, built between 1427 and 1483, was formerly used for lectures, oral exams and discussions on theology. The elaborate ceiling was designed by William Orchard.

The organ of Merton College Chapel, built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa, was installed in 2013.