Radcliffe Camera, Oxford, England

We have more highlights from Oxford, England. The city of Oxford experienced much rebuilding during the 18th Century, which concluded with the creation of Radcliffe Square and the construction of the Radcliffe Library (now known as the Radcliffe Camera). The money for this library was donated by Sir John Radcliffe, a physician. There was much debate about exactly where the library should be situated, but it was finally decided that it should have a site in the middle of the new square. Nicholas Hawksmoor, the architect behind the design of the new square, and James Gibbs were invited to submit designs for the new library. Gibbs proposed a square library, and Hawksmoor designed a domed circular library alluding in its form and decoration to the mausolea of classical antiquity. Hawksmoor died before the site was fully purchased, so the design of the library fell to Gibbs. Although a square library would have been more practical, the Radcliffe's trustees persuaded Gibbs to conform to Hawksmoor's circular scheme, and thus give Radcliffe his monument. Gibbs created a lighter, more Baroque building, drawing on his training in Rome. Light enters both through outer windows and through the drum of the dome, and the resulting effect of light and space is enhanced by decorative plastorwork. It is thought to be the finest classical interior in Oxford, and one of a few in England.