The
circular dome and drum of the Radcliffe Camera provides one of
Oxford's most iconic sights, and is a distinctive landmark in a city
full of distinctive landmarks! The camera (the word means simply
"room") was built 1737-1749 with £40,000 bequeathed by Dr
John Radcliffe, the royal physician. Radcliffe was the most
successful physician in England, and in his will he left money to
purchase land, build a library, purchase books, and pay a full-time
librarian. A site was purchased north of University Church (St
Mary's), on a new square created when old houses were torn down.
