5. Merton

This archway in Merton College leads from the west side of Mob Quad to the chapel. Mob Quad is the oldest quad in Oxford. The buildings were erected in three parts over a hundred-year period, all being completed by 1378. The south and west sides of the quad house the medieval library, which has been in continuous use since that time. The quad first became known as Mob Quad in 1797, when junior members of the College were accommodated there. Its name was probably a facetious description which became permanent.