The College

The College is a building that was originally home to a religious community and is now used as cottages and a museum. It dates from the late 18th century to early 19th century and was converted around 1842 from farm buildings for John Henry Newman, who later became Cardinal Newman. The structure is made of limestone rubble with ashlar dressings and features a Welsh slate roof with brick ridge stacks. It is arranged in an L-plan on two sides of a walled garden.

The one-storey entrance range includes a wide through passage beneath a weatherboarded gable. To the right, there are five 2-light casement windows and a door, while to the left, there are ten similar windows, some of which were converted from doors. All windows have ashlar quoins and segmental arches. The range that returns to the left on Cowley Road has four 2-light casements and a door, with the furthest bay featuring a 3-light casement beneath a brick upper storey. The rear of the entrance range has a renewed timber loggia.

Inside, Newman's room features a brick floor and a stone fireplace with a basket grate. It is accessed through an internal matchboard porch, which also leads to his adjacent oratory, where he was received into the Roman Catholic Church around 1845.