About St Cross Building, University of Oxford
Located on the corner of St Cross Road and Manor Road, the St Cross Building is a key hub for academic life at the University of Oxford, particularly within the Faculty of Law. Just northeast of the city centre and opposite Holywell Manor, it combines modernist architectural flair with practical facilities for students, staff, and visitors.
Designed by Sir John Leslie Martin, Colin St John Wilson, and Patrick Hodgkinson and completed in the 1960s, the building is celebrated for its interlocking cubic design, with the largest cube housing the Bodleian Law Library, the medium cube for the English Faculty Library, and the smallest originally for the Economics and Statistics Library. Its Grade II* listing recognises its architectural significance and modernist heritage.
Inside, the St Cross Building offers lecture theatres, seminar rooms, and administrative offices, all designed for accessibility. Step-free access is available via ramps and lifts, and lecture theatres are equipped with induction loops and infrared hearing support. The Bodleian Law Library, on the second floor, provides comprehensive resources for law students and researchers.
The building also serves as a focal point for a wide range of Humanities, MPLS, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences divisions and their departments, making it a versatile and essential part of Oxford’s academic landscape.
- The Gulbenkian Lecture Theatre (Law), located on the ground floor, features banked seating and stairs down to the stage
- The English Lecture Theatre is broadly similar to the Gulbenkian, although it is slightly smaller.
- The White & Case Lecture Room (Law) is on the intermediate level between the ground and first floors.