Dome

Quadrangle elevation, northwest corner; The Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in England is second in size only to the British Library. The current incarnation of the library was opened in 1602, supported by Thomas Bodley. The Schools Quadrangle (sometimes referred to as the "Old Schools Quadrangle", or the "Old Library") was built between 1613 and 1619. Its tower forms the main entrance to the library, and is known as the Tower of the Five Orders. The Tower is so named because it is ornamented, in ascending order, with the columns of each of the five orders of classical architecture: Doric, Tuscan, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite. The rooms (schools) on the ground and upper floor of the quadrangle (excluding Duke Humfrey's library, above the Divinity School) were originally used as lecture space. Their function is still indicated by the inscriptions over the doors. As the library's collections expanded, these rooms were gradually taken over. By the late eighteenth century, further growth of the library demanded more expansion space. In 1860, the library was allowed to take over the adjacent building, known as the Radcliffe Camera. The Library also includes the Clarendon Building (1711-1715) by Hawksmoor and the New Bodleian (1940) by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 7/15/2008)