Worcester College, Main Block is a Grade I listed building in the Oxford local planning authority area, England. First listed on 12 January 1954. A C18 College.
Worcester College, Main Block
- WRENN ID
- ancient-eave-brook
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Oxford
- Constituency
- Oxford West and Abingdon MP: Layla Moran (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 12 January 1954
- Type
- College
- OS grid reference
- SP 509 064
- Coordinates
- 51.75479, -1.26341
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
Worcester College's Main Block, built between 1720 and 1786, is constructed from Headington stone and is located on Beaumont Street. The building features a Hall in the South Wing and a Chapel in the North Wing, with a recessed gateway situated between them. To the west, there is a loggia above which sits the Library. The design is possibly attributed to Dr. George Clarke, with the approval of Hawksmoor, and William Townesend served as the mason for some parts. The designs of the Chapel and Hall were later altered, likely by James Wyatt. The Chapel was redecorated by William Burgess between 1864 and 1866 but was restored to its original design in 1967. The decayed Headington Stone on the west side of the block was replaced with synthetic stone from 1924 to 1926, and the building was re-faced in Clipsham blue-veined stone from 1965 to 1969.
Local climate
Worcester College, Main Block sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 77% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 70% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 50% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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