July 2026
As a result of the English Reformation of the early 1600s, all existing monasteries were abolished, and most were torn down.
These were the churches that we visited around Oxford that had their beginnings in the pre-Reformation era.
New College
New College is one of the oldest of the Oxford colleges; it was founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, as “Saint Mary College of Winchester in Oxenford”. It became known as “New College” because there was already a college dedicated to St Mary in Oxford (Oriel College)
The medieval interior of the chapel was modified after the Reformation, with the removal of secondary altars, the rood loft, and the reredos’ statues, which were plastered over.
The 13th-century City Walls enclose the garden at New College. As part of Wykeham’s original deal for the land with the City of Oxford, New College is responsible for maintaining them.
This Romanesque church was built c.1160 by the St Remy family. The Early Gothic east end was extended in c.1230, when a cell was constructed on the south side for the anchoress Annora.
The building has not been changed much over the centuries, retaining its round-arched windows and doorways.
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