Fronting onto Broad Street, Trinity College's distinctive iron gates give the college a more open feel than many other Oxford colleges. Through the gates you can catch a glimpse of some of the most beautiful gardens in Oxford, which have recently undergone a transformation alongside the development and restoration of Trinity’s buildings and facilities. We have a team of skilled gardeners who manage our grounds and promote their use as a wellbeing space for the college. The gardens at Trinity are Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England due to their historic significance but, alongside the sense of tradition this brings, we also use modern, sustainable techniques in our approach to the garden.

The front of Trinity opens up like a small park within central Oxford. It features an informal grass area in which several specimen trees can be found. These include our two iconic Atlantic Blue Cedars and a Catalpa (Indian Bean Tree), which is reputed to be one of the oldest in Oxford. In front of the chapel is a very fine specimen of Magnolia grandiflora. Additional plantings have been added to enhance species richness in this area, as well as allowing broadleaf and flowering plants to punctuate the lawns. In the South East corner, in front of the 17th century Kettell Hall is a modern take on a meadow planting, with annual and perennial flowering plants replacing the previous lawned area. Bug surveys have shown that 30 times more bees visit this area than the grass area on the lawns.

These gardens are permanently on view through the Stuart Gates on Parks Road, up to the college’s Garden Quad, making them one of Oxford’s most iconic sights. The lawns in this area are used by college members to relax and even play croquet. They sometimes host events such as the College Ball or Graduation. The line of Yews on the South side of the lawns are likely the remains of an intricate topiary design from the early 18th century, when Trinity invested in a grand scale Dutch-style garden with partitioned lawns and topiaries. An archaeological dig in Winter 23/24 revealed some of the pathways from this design.

The garden in this area also contains a small herbaceous border at the west end of the north side. At the end of this you can also find the “Cambodian Guardian Lion” statue by sculptor John Buckley (who also created the “Shark House” in Headington, Oxford). In the south west corner of the garden is a statue of Saint John Henry Newman, who attended Trinity and was an Honorary Fellow .

Garden Quad is a three-sided paved space which overlooks the gardens, and the original part of this was designed by Christopher Wren. The climber which covers the archway is Campsis x tagliabuana and is a real favourite with visitors each summer. Seasonal pots add a splash of colour and complement the honey-stone walls.

The octagonal lawn of Durham Quad sits on a plinth of Portland stone. The lawn was installed in 1980. Ornamental plants in barrels and pots around the quad give a seasonal backdrop to this plainer, more formal space.

This is the private garden for the college’s Fellows, and can usually be glimpsed through the iron gate. The Fellows Garden reopened in 2024 after building works. It has a new look of long-flowering herbaceous beds and scented climbers, accenting the walls surrounding the space. The garden is used by members of the Senior Common Room as a private space for relaxation.