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The Christ Church Picture Gallery's collection of Old Master paintings and drawings is housed in a gallery designed by the architects Powell and Moya – noted for their 'humane modernism' style.

Ticket prices and booking
Accessibility
Group visits
Tours
FAQs
Hiring the Picture Gallery

How to find us

Christ Church Picture Gallery is located within the walls of Christ Church. 

Via Canterbury Gate

To visit the Picture Gallery without visiting the rest of the college, enter through Canterbury Gate off Oriel Square (from King Edward Street), only a couple of minutes walk from the High Street. The Custodian at the gate will direct you to the Gallery.

Via Meadow Gate

For visitors who wish to see the entire college, the entrance is at Meadow Gate. If you start from there, the Picture Gallery is located in the last quadrangle, known as Canterbury Quad, designed by the British architect James Wyatt (1746–1813).

Visiting the gallery
Opening times

The Picture Gallery is open to all. Group visits are welcomed, but need to be booked in advance. Please note last entry to the gallery is at 4.30pm

The Picture Gallery will be closed over the Christmas period from 21 December 2024 to 8 January 2025 inclusive. 

 

Opening - Last entry is at 4.30pm
Monday11am–5pm
TuesdayClosed
Wednesday11am–5pm
Thursday  11am–5pm
Friday11am–5pm
Saturday11am–5pm
Sunday 2pm–5pm
Sculptures in the Picture Gallery

Gallery tickets

Tickets can be purchased directly at the entrance to the Picture Gallery or can be booked online. All group visits need to be booked directly with the Picture Gallery in advance (please see below).

Adult – £6.00;  Concession – £3.00;  Free for members of the University and National Art Pass holders. Visitors who have bought a ticket to visit Christ Church are entitled to the reduced £3.00 Gallery entrance charge.

Annual ticket (unlimited entrance to the Picture Gallery for one year) – £15.00; Concession (Annual Ticket) – £7.50.

Book online

Group visits

Group visits are restricted to a maximum of 12 visitors per group and should be pre-booked.

Please give at least one week's notice of your visit. Group leaders are free, but members of your party pay the standard admissions charge (£6 for adults and £3 for concessions).

To arrange a group visit, please email picturegallery@chch.ox.ac.uk or ring +44 (0)1865 276172.

Detail of Mazzolino, The Tribute Money, JBS 157
Picture Gallery tours
Tours

Tours

Every Thursday at 2.30 pm visitors can join a general tour of the collection and its history. The tour is free with the price of admission.

Special tours

Tours and seminars can be pre-booked and tailored to suit the interests of your party. A maximum of 12 people can take part in a tour at one time. Charges apply for these visits. For further details, please contact the Picture Gallery.

Print Room visits

The Print Room is open by appointment only. Visitors and scholars should indicate their specific interest in the drawings collection and should arrange their visits well in advance as access is limited and not always possible.

Group visits to the Print Room can also be arranged but are restricted to a maximum of five people at one time.

Steps in the listed building

Accessibility

At present the Picture Gallery is not accessible to wheelchair users, as it is reached by a narrow flight of steps, with further level changes and narrow corners within the listed gallery building.

Blue Badge parking spaces are available at Oriel Square, outside Canterbury Gate, the Gallery’s entrance gate.

Descriptions of exhibits are available in large print – please note that due to conservation needs light levels in some parts of the gallery are low.

For further information, please contact the Curator of the Picture Gallery.

FAQs

  • Can I take photographs in the gallery?

    Sorry, no. Photography is not allowed in the Picture Gallery.

  • How do I make a photographic request for an image in the collection?

    Requests for images in the collection (including the Christ Church collection of portraits) should be sent to the Picture Gallery's Curatorial Assistant at matilda.mcevedy@chch.ox.ac.uk who can also provide information about charges and reproduction rights.

  • Can I sketch in the gallery?

    Visitors are permitted to sketch in the gallery, on paper not to exceed 12 x 18 inches with charcoal or lead pencils only. If individuals need to sharpen their pencils, they must use their own boxes to collect the shavings.

    The use of pens, coloured pencils, oil paints, easels, or watercolours is not allowed. In addition, individuals who sketch in the gallery may not interfere with the flow of visitors through the galleries and are subject to further direction from the gallery staff, as necessary.

  • How do I contact the gallery?

    Contact us

    Christ Church Picture Gallery
    Christ Church
    St Aldates
    Oxford OX1 1DP

     

    General enquiries

    picturegallery@chch.ox.ac.uk
    Telephone: 01865 276172

     

    Curator of the Picture Gallery

    Jacqueline Thalmann
    jacqueline.thalmann@chch.ox.ac.uk
    Telephone: 01865 286330

     

    Curatorial Assistants

    Elania Pieragostini
    elania.pieragostini@chch.ox.ac.uk
    Telephone: 01865 276172

    Matilda McEvedy
    matilda.mcevedy@chch.ox.ac.uk
    Telephone: 01865 276172

  • Can I hire the Picture Gallery for my private function?

    The Picture Gallery can be hired as a venue for private functions and drinks receptions. The juxtaposition of a prize-winning modern building with the Old Master paintings and drawings, makes the Gallery an interesting and intimate venue.