Balliol College is one of the
constituent colleges of the
University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded in around 1263 by
John I de Balliol, a rich landowner from
Barnard's Castle in County Durham, who provided the foundation and endowment for the college. When de Balliol died in 1269 his wife, Dervorguilla, continued his work in setting up the college, providing a further endowment and writing the statutes. Among the college's alumni are
Harald V of Norway and former prime ministers
H. H. Asquith,
Harold Macmillan, and
Edward Heath.
John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible into English, was Master of the college in the 1360s.
This picture depicts the college's dining hall which was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and built in 1877. The hall features a Henry Willis organ.Photograph: David Iliff