University College, Oxford

University College features a distinctive pair of heavy, iron-studded oak gates opening onto High Street. It claims the title of the oldest college at Oxford, tracing its origins to a legacy left in twelve forty-nine by William of Durham. For centuries, the college argued it was founded by King Alfred the Great in the ninth century to bolster its prestige. While that royal origin story proved entirely mythical, the college remains one of the wealthiest and most influential institutions in the city.