The buildings are diverse, especially in the main
quadrangle: looking down into the main quadrangle from the entrance through the main building, to the right is an imposing 18th-century building in the
neo-classical style; and to the left a row of
medieval buildings known as "the cottages", which are among the oldest residential buildings in
Oxford. These cottages are the most substantial surviving part of
Gloucester College, Worcester's predecessor on the same site: this was a college for
Benedictine monks, founded in 1283 and dissolved with the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in about 1539. in 1675, housed largely in the surviving buildings of Gloucester College After a lapse of 20 years, the buildings of the old Gloucester College were used in the foundation of an
academic hall,
Gloucester Hall, in around 1560. The penultimate principal,
Benjamin Woodroffe, attempted to establish there a '
Greek College' for
Greek Orthodox students to come to Oxford, part of a scheme to make ecumenical links with the
Church of England. This was a going concern from 1699 to 1705, although only 15 Greeks are recorded as members. In 1714, thanks to a fortunate benefaction from a Worcestershire baronet, Sir
Thomas Cookes, Gloucester Hall was transformed into Worcester College. Even then, there were only sufficient funds to rebuild the Chapel, Hall and Library and the north side of the Front Quad, known as the Terrace. The designs were by
George Clarke, who had consulted
Nicholas Hawksmoor. In 1736, Clarke generously left to the college his great collection of books and manuscripts. These included the papers of his father
William Clarke (which are of crucial importance for the history of England during the period of the
Commonwealth and
Protectorate) and a large proportion of the surviving drawings of
Inigo Jones. in the early 19th century. The projecting wings are the Hall (left) and the Chapel (right) Owing to lack of funds, Worcester's 18th-century building programme proceeded by fits and starts. The west end of the Terrace and the Provost's Lodgings were added in 1773–1776 (architect:
Henry Keene). The medieval cottages were to have been replaced by a further classical range, but survived because money for this purpose was never available; the Hall and Chapel, by
James Wyatt, were not completed until the 1770s.
The Chapel The College Chapel was built in the 18th century. George Clarke, Henry Keene, and James Wyatt were responsible for different stages of its lengthy construction (1720–1791), owing to a shortage of funds. The interior columns and pilasters, the dome, and the delicate foliage plastering are all Wyatt's work. His classical interior was insufficiently emphatic for the tastes of militant Victorian churchmen, and between 1864 and 1866 the chapel was redecorated by
William Burges. It is highly unusual and decorative; being predominantly pink, the pews are decorated with carved animals, including kangaroos and whales, and the walls are riotously colourful, and include frescoes of dodos and peacocks. Its
stained glass windows were to have been designed by
John Everett Millais, but Burges rejected his designs and entrusted the work to
Henry Holiday. Oscar Wilde said of the Chapel, "As a piece of simple decorative and beautiful art it is perfect, and the windows very artistic."
The Chapel Choirs Worcester is unique among the Oxford colleges in that it has not one, but two chapel choirs of equal status, which share out the weekly services between them. There is a mixed-voice choir constituted of auditioned choral scholars and volunteers, which sings twice a week: weekly on Thursday and on alternating Sunday and Monday evenings. The Boys' Choir consists of trebles from
Christ Church Cathedral School and alto, tenor and bass choral scholars. This choir also sings twice weekly; on Sunday and Tuesday evenings. These choirs are run on a day-to-day basis by Worcester's two Organ Scholars alongside the director of music.
The Hall William Burges was commissioned to redecorate the Hall, but was forced to curtail his elaborate designs by a lack of funds. A reduced scheme was completed in 1877 but was substantially altered in the early-20th century, and in 1966 Wyatt's designs were restored using his original drawings (preserved in the College Library), under the direction of architect Emil Godfrey. The Hall was refurbished and redecorated in 2018.
Modern buildings In more recent years, several new residential blocks for undergraduates and graduates have been added, thanks in part to a series of generous benefactions. The latest of these include the Earl Building, Sainsbury Building (which won the Civic Trust Award in 1984), Linbury Building, Canal Building, Ruskin Lane Building (for undergraduates), the Franks Building (for graduates), and the
Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, which won numerous architectural awards and was shortlisted for the 2018
Stirling Prize. The Canal Building sits next to the north entrance to the college and, as the name suggests, beside the
Oxford Canal. It houses 50 students in large en-suite single rooms. The accommodation is usually reserved for third and fourth-year undergraduates.
The Gardens Although Worcester is near the centre of Oxford today, it was on the edge of the city in the 18th century. This has proved a benefit in the long run, since it has allowed the college to retain very extensive gardens and contiguous
playing fields (a total of , including a lake). The gardens have won numerous awards, including the Oxford in Bloom college award every time they have been entered for the competition. Extensive work on the gardens was carried out between 1817 and 1820, and they may have been laid out in the Picturesque style by Richard Greswell in 1827. They are now managed by head gardener Simon Bagnall and a team of seven gardeners. A production of
Twelfth Night was directed by
Patrick Garland in the gardens with
Oz Clarke as
Sir Toby Belch and
Francis Matthews. Other garden plays have included
The Tempest on the lake, directed by
Nevill Coghill in 1949, and
Twelfth Night in the Provost's garden, directed by provost
Jonathan Bate and undergraduate Georgia Figgis in 2016. From February 2009 until December 2018 the college's gardeners kept a
blog to provide an insight into the work involved in looking after the .
Gallery File:WorcesterQuadrangle.JPG|The main quadrangle of Worcester College; on the left are the medieval buildings known as "the cottages", the most substantial surviving part of
Gloucester College, Worcester's predecessor File:Worcester_College,_Oxford_archway.JPG|The 15th-century gate of Gloucester College, surviving to the side of the current gate and bearing the arms of the abbeys of
Winchcombe,
St Albans and
Ramsey File:Worcester College from the quad.JPG|The main building rebuilt between 1720 and 1786. Above the arcade is the Old Library; behind the arcade are the main entrance to the College (centre) and the entrances to the Chapel (left) and the Hall (right) File:Worcester College, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 1325095.jpg|North range of the Quad, the 18th-century Terrace File:Oxford - Worcester College - Provost lodging.jpg|Provost's Lodgings, added to the North range in 1773–1776 by the architect
Henry Keene File:Worcester College Oxford England.jpg|The cottages from the Nuffield lawn File:Oxford - Worcester College - lake sun.jpg|Lake File:Sainsbury Building.jpg|Sainsbury Building (which won the Civic Trust Award in 1984) File:Nazrin Shah Centre.jpg|Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, added in 2017, viewed across the cricket field ==Traditions==