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Somerville College is situated on the north side of Oxford and offers an oasis of tranquillity on the edge of the bustling city centre, which is only a 10-minute stroll away, making this an ideal base from which to explore.

Please be aware that the University of Oxford are at present redeveloping the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter site adjacent to the ROQ East & West Guest accommodation buildings in college, therefore there will be disruption on a daily basis between 8am and 6pm over the next few months while these construction/building works are in place.

Offering a clean and comfortable place to stay in well-appointed double and single ensuite accommodation, as well as standard accommodation with shared facilities to suit most budgets. All rooms are provided with bed linen, towels, toiletries and hospitality trays.

Parking - Please note Somerville has no car parking facilities.

Housekeeping - Rooms are serviced on a daily basis by college scouts.

Laundry - Unfortunately laundry facilities are not available to B & B guests.

Hen & Stag Parties are not permitted out of respect for other guests.

Check in: 14:00 (2:00pm) - 23:30 (11:30pm) (no arrivals allowed outside this window)

Check out: 07:00 (7:00am) - 10:00 (10:00am)

History

Somerville College was founded in 1879, in response to a growing demand to provide an Oxford education for women. Its founders named the College in honour of the Scottish mathematician and scientist Mary Somerville,and the Somerville family arms and motto (the notoriously untranslatable "Donec rursus impleat orbem") were adopted.

Somerville alumnae have achieved an impressive number of “firsts” - the first, and only, British woman to win a Nobel prize in science(Dorothy Hodgkin); the highest-ranking female officer of her time in the British intelligence services (the Queen of Spies, Daphne Park); the first woman to lead the world’s largest democracy (Indira Gandhi); the first Indian woman barrister (Cornelia Sorabji) and the first woman Prime Minister of this country (Margaret Thatcher).

Countless others have forged path-breaking careers in academic life, politics, literature, science, law, business, education and the media.

Food & beverage

Breakfast is only included in the room rate where stated.

(Breakfast is not included in Room Only Bookings).

Although this can be purchased (Cash only) at the student servery between 8.00am – 9.00am (Mon to Fri only)

Breakfast, when included, is self-service, with a wide range of hot and cold food, available from 08.00 to 09.00 in the grand first floor Dining Hall which has views across the main quad. With Somerville being one of the former women's colleges, the dining hall, which comfortably seats 200, has wooden chairs rather than benches on which to sit.

Grounds & Gardens

The magnificent gardens are available for guests to enjoy and garden benches are provided for you to relax when the weather's suitable, and you are allowed to walk on the lawns.

Other facilities

Free Wi-Fi internet access is available using the cloud network. The Cloud is a 3rd party service and support for users is only available from the Cloud via https://www.thecloud.net/ (No telephone support is available from the Cloud).

All bedrooms have tea and coffee making facilities.

The Porters' Lodge is staffed 24 hours a day.

Top facilities

Free WiFi

Breakfast included

Availability

Please select dates to view availability for this location

Reviews

4.1

Based on 276 reviews

Room
4.0

Value
4.0

Food
3.9

Service
4.4

Experience
4.3

★★★★★

160

★★★★

★★★

★★

★

I really enjoyed my stay at Somerville College. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The room was clean, comfortable and equipped with everything one might need for a short stay. The College is very well-located with easy access to all the central places in Oxford. My only minor negative exper...
Anon 21/05/2023

It was wonderful to be on campus, close to the rich history of the university and only some 12 minutes away on foot from the train station. The room and the shared (with two other rooms) bathroom facility were sparkling clean and the bed was comfortable enough. It is a great value for money and...
Anon 13/03/2023

A peaceful stay in the heart of oxford. Pleased to be supporting the College rather than a faceless corporate giant. Friendly lodge staff, clean facilities and a comfortable bed to sleep in. Competitively priced for Oxford. Thankyou.
LukeS 07/11/2022

The rooms were clean and well serviced. It was really great there was a fan in the room. The food was nice, but there was no alternative to dairy milk/yoghurt available, which was rather disappointing.
BenjaminM 08/08/2022

An excellent first experience of staying in an Oxford College. Basic student rooms as expected, but spotless, quiet and a great location. Can’t fault it, and very reasonable price.
ChristopherS 08/05/2023

The location is very good, it's a nice quiet place with a beautiful garden.
PiotrS 08/08/2022

Good convenient location The bed was very soft
IanS 23/04/2023

Superb value for money in lovely surroundings
GaryK 16/09/2022

Very comfortable, clean and quiet.
GillianM 30/11/2022

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Facilities & information

Summary

19th century buildings

20th century buildings

21st century buildings

Breakfast included

Public parking nearby (free)

Public car parking for a charge (nearby)

No parking

No smoking

B&B

Historic property

Facilities

Free broadband access (wifi)

No luggage storage

24 hour security

Linen included

Towels included

Central heating

Food

Continental breakfast (included)

Cooked breakfast (included)

Recreations

Recommended walks

Pub (walking distance)

Museums (walking distance)

Historic houses

Gardens

Golf course (a short drive)

Recommended restaurants (walking distance)

Theatre (walking distance)

Arrival information and directions

View map

Address: Somerville College, Woodstock Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OxfordOX2 6HD, United Kingdom

On arrival please report to the Porter's Lodge to check-in.

Directions:

By Car: Unfortunately, Somerville does not have any parking on site which can be offered to conference delegates, guests, or visitors. There is a park and ride facilities on the outskirts of the City and parking in St. Giles is on a pay and display basis.

To avoid the city centre, come into Oxford via the A40 northern ring road and take the A4144 Woodstock Road south for about two miles. Somerville is on the right just before you reach the city centre and the merge onto St Giles.

By Train: The city is around 1 hour's journey from London Paddington and Birmingham New Street stations. There is also easy access from most other directions. Oxford railway station is approximately 15 minutes' walk from Somerville. There is a taxi rank at the station.

By Coach: Gloucester Green coach station is approximately 10 minutes' walk from the College. There is a taxi rank in Gloucester Greenmarket square, next to the coach station.

By Air: Heathrow and Gatwick airport.

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