PHOTOS - Balliol from the inside and the grounds

Plenty of turrets, merlons and crenels at Bailley, and indeed at most of the old colleges.

The grounds: there are about 4 or 5 full time groundsmen who keep the place tidy. A chestnut falls on the ground and they swoop in, removing it and smoothing out the grass on the point of impact. Balliol is one of the few colleges which allows people to walk on the grass. I think we went through a liberal phase in the 1880s with maverick masters who abolished high table dinners and sought a more equal existence. There are still the lawyer-types around who complain about the extravagance at Balliol. I try to point them to the monastery up the road if they want simplicity.