Oxford - Merton College

Merton College is the oldest college still in existence. It was founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton, Chancellor of England and later Bishop of Rochester. Unlike other colleges, it was intended in the first place for secular students. The Chapel consists of a choir of 1277 and a large antechapel of 1414; the tower was added in 1481. Most of the windows of the choir have their original glass (there is a particularly fine Virgin and Child in the east window). The brass lectern of about 1500 is another notable feature.

Distinguished members of Merton College have included the politician, Lord Randolph Churchill (1849-94), poet T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) and Max Beerbohm (1872-1956), the English writer and artist.