Mob Quad

Mob Quad is a four sided group of buildings in Merton College, Oxford surrounding a small lawn. It was probably begun soon after the foundation of the College in 1264 and as it was completed before the middle of the next century it has a strong claim to be the oldest quadrangle in Oxford. The model has been copied, or perhaps independently discovered, at many other colleges and universities world wide.

The buildings are faced in an attractive rag-finished Cotswold stone, and have steeply pitched roofs. There are no chimneys: they had not been invented when the buildings were first completed, and although they were later added, they have been removed in modern times, since the coal fireplaces have been replaced with electric heating. The walls are thick and the windows on the outside are small; it is possible that the layout originally had a defensive purpose.

The south and west ranges have two storeys and house the Old Library on the first floor, with the modern reference library on the ground floor. The old library has large dormer windows which were added some 200 years after it was first built. The library contains a number of book chests, some chained books, one of Elizabeth I's Welsh Bibles, and a priceless collection of early printed books. There is also a collection devoted to T. S. Eliot. The library is still used by members of the college, and is open to visitors by arrangement.

The north and east ranges, of three and two storeys respectively, are still used as undergraduate accommodation. In the north east corner, there is a building of special interest. The roof in this corner is much steeper than the rest of the quad; this is because it is made entirely of stone. It covers the college's Muniments Room and is made of stone to protect the room from fire. This room, with its archway beneath, stands on the site of the original house purchased by Walter de Merton from a merchant of Oxford called Jacob the Jew in 1264. The receipt is still kept in the Muniments Room.