Oxford Union

Famed worldwide as a debating society, and also known for attracting prominent international speakers, Oxford’s legendary Union is largely off-limits to nonmembers. It is however possible to visit its library, home to some marvellous Pre-Raphaelite murals painted between 1857 and 1859 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. Depicting scenes from the Arthurian legends, such as Arthur’s first victory with the sword Excalibur, they can be tricky to see on bright days, as they surround the flower-shaped windows.