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Our facilities

Library

Oriel’s Pantin Library is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, while the beautiful Senior Library is open for students from 10am – 4pm on weekdays during full term. The Library office is open 9am – 5pm on most weekdays. Students are able to borrow up to 30 books at a time and can keep their loans for the entire academic year. Oriel’s friendly Library team are happy to order books in for students if they are requested via the online suggestion form. In 2021, a new group study area was created to enable students to study together in a comfort.

More information about the Library

Junior Common Room (JCR)

The JCR rooms are located in Third Quad in a building known as the ‘Doll’s House’, and provide space for undergraduate students to meet up, relax and sometimes hold special events. The two rooms have a mix of comfy chairs and sofas, as well as a kitchen, tuck shop and ping pong table.

Find out more on the JCR website

Middle Common Room (MCR)

The two MCR rooms are located on the College’s ‘Island Site’, with great views over Oriel Square and Christ Church. They are for the use of Oriel’s postgraduate community. One room is a ‘common room’ intended for socialising and relaxing and features comfy chairs, tables and a kitchen (with microwave, fridge and dishwasher) for making snacks and drinks. Free tea, freshly-ground coffee and biscuits are provided for MCR members. There is a small MCR bar, which is open at certain times during the week and for special events.

There is also an MCR study room, complete with desks, leather wing chairs and blackboards – a nice alternative to the Library if you feel like a change of scene (and more coffee).

 

Find out more on the MCR website

Chapel

The College Chapel is located in Front Quad and services are held every day. The Chapel is a place where everyone is welcome, regardless of their faith and offers space for quiet reflection.

Find out more about the Chapel

Music Room

Music is an important part of life at Oriel, and our dedicated Music Room, situated in Third Quad, is open to College members as a space to practice music. A piano, also available for students to book, is permanently situated in the room. The College also has a Steinway piano that is situated in the Senior Library.

Gyms and Sports Facilities

The College has three gyms – two on the main site, and one on our Rectory Road site alongside our graduate accommodation. The gyms are free for students to use (once they have completed an induction session) and have a mix of cardio equipment and weights. Oriel’s squash court is also situated at the Rectory Road site.

The College sports ground (Bartlemas Sports Ground or ‘Barty’) is located about a 10-minute cycle from the College, up the Cowley Road. The sports ground is used for a variety of sports throughout the year and is also sometimes used for student BBQs in the summer.

Like most colleges, Oriel has a boat house located on the river (accessed on foot or by bike via Christ Church meadows). It is home to the Men’s and Women’s boat clubs and during ‘Torpids’ and ‘Summer Eights’ becomes the basecamp for Oriel supporters cheering on the College boats.

further information

Sports at Oriel

Creative and performing arts

Living at Oriel