Welcome to Pembroke College and our website

It is exhilarating being at the helm of this College in the heart of Oxford with its strong identity, four centuries of history and a special sense of community. Pembroke has a feeling of informality and intimacy enhanced by our attractive architecture and gardens. There is a welcoming asymmetry to the Old Quad where you enter and which delights in the warmer months with spectacularly colourful window-box displays. When you pass from this "Cotswold village" ambience into the much larger, well-hidden Chapel Quad you will be surprised: the vista which opens up carries a message about wider perspectives – and says something about our sense of ambition.

Ambition is a clear feature of Pembroke life.  Over the last decade, backed by a strong financial position, we have invested in a wide ranging programme of improvement to our facilities.  And we are now about to open (October 2012) the most ambitious development in the history of the College: a new quad with 100 new student bedrooms and flats, and a multi-purpose auditorium, a café and more.  Our academic Fellows are leaders in their fields and very committed to their roles in the College. Pembroke students are good at many things: their academic sights are set high; they achieve consistently strong results in University examinations; they are talented musicians and singers, producing annual musicals and with a choir that has produced its own CD and has been touring abroad; our students continue to play hard in traditional Oxford sports where the College has always been prominent, and outstanding in some. The student body also owns a unique and highly regarded modern art collection displayed in its own gallery. We quickly get to know each other here; and our inclusiveness helps everyone wishing to do so to take an active part in College life.

It is also our pleasure to receive many guests and visitors to the College. Whether your stay is short or long, we hope and believe that you too will appreciate the warmth of our welcome. I hope you enjoy the snapshot of the Pembroke community provided by these pages, and please consider a visit to look around the College or contact us with your questions.

Giles Henderson

Giles Henderson

Master