Reference visit to Oxford's Jackson Library, Exeter College

1 October 2025

University Design Forum were hosted by Alan Dempsey and colleagues from Nex Architecture and the commissioning client Exeter College, for presentation, study visit and discussion panel on the Jackson Library at Exeter College, University of Oxford.

The project demonstrates how sensitive conservation and carefully judged intervention can transform a historic building into a working library for the twenty-first century. Designed in 1856 by Sir George Gilbert Scott as the College’s third library, it had, over time, suffered from unsympathetic alterations, stone decay, clutter, and environmental discomfort. By the mid-twentieth century it had become uninviting, difficult to access, and poorly suited to the needs of its readers.

The Jackson Library project set out not only to restore, but also to reinterpret. Strategic decisions were taken about what should be retained, replaced, or rethought. Invasive structural additions were removed and inventive new repairs introduced. Joinery plays a central role in the renewal: new bookcases, crafted desks, and carefully detailed timber balconies provide clarity, light, and comfort. Environmental upgrades, including insulation (hat and boots), underfloor heating connected future ready for a ground-source heat pump, or the district heating network, and improved ventilation, ensure sustainability and reader comfort throughout the year.

Accessibility was a key driver. A new entrance and a cast-iron-clad lift now connect all four floors, enabling unassisted access and evacuation. Space planning allowed for an increase in reader capacity from 52 to 88 seats, a significant increase in capacity, without extending the building while new reading rooms foster a more collegiate (and comfortable) environment.

The result is a library that retains the dignity of Scott’s original vision while embracing contemporary expectations of universal access, sustainability, and comfort. Rather than a static monument, it now stands as a vibrant, working library—an academic heart for the College and a model for how heritage buildings can be reactivated to support future scholarship.

The University Design Forum extends its thanks to the host and sponsors, Exeter College & Nex Architecture and the speakers and those who contributed to the visit.

Written by and images credited to Rupert Cook.