The Oxford Union Society was founded in 1823 and is located in Frewin Court, Oxford. The original Union buildings were designed by Benjamin Woodward and opened in 1857. The original Woodward debating chamber, now known as the Old Library.

In 1857 when the first buildings were erected, the present Old Library served as the debating chamber. On its walls are the famous Pre-Raphaelite murals depicting scenes from Arthurian legends, which were painted by a team of artists including Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Edward Burne-Jones, and William Morris.

It seems that even in the 1860’s there was talk of moving the library; however, this could also be because land was bought and sold on Frewin Court so frequently in the 19th century that nothing stayed the same for long. 

Eventually, the Union acquired the land necessary to build a separate Debating Chamber. The main buildings would expand as well, to include a new Library space and a large dining room. Architect Alfred Waterhouse was commissioned to design the free-standing debating chamber in the gardens, which opened in 1879.

In 1911, another expansion of the existing infrastructure took place. Walter Mills and Thorpe designed the final building extensions, built in 1910–11, in Gothic Revival style. This expansion included the addition of new buildings and the enhancement of existing structures. Today the Goodman Library, Macmillan Room and Steward’s house are integral parts of the Oxford Union Society, and as a result, it is hard to imagine the Union without them, as it was before 1911. The Goodman has a vast collection of journals on politics, psychology, history, etc. The Macmillan Room serves as extra study space, a dining room, and as a meeting room for various Union activities, whilst the Steward’s House, lesser visited by members, is home to the Bursar’s office, the maintenance department and the Archives.

The Oxford Union Society’s Grade II* buildings can be found in the National Heritage List for England. They are currently undergoing a sympathetic renovation with the aim to create a site that empowers our charitable purpose for the next two hundred years and enables us to function as a bastion of free speech and debate within the context of a listed heritage site. If you would like to contribute to the Bicentennial preservation appeal, please contact the Development Office.