Wadham, Oxford

Wadham College
Blazon: Gules, a chevron between 3 roses argent barbed vert (Wadham); impaling Gules, a bend or between 2 escallops argent (Petre)
University	University of Oxford
Location	Parks Road
Coordinates	51°45′21″N 1°15′17″W / 51.755871°N 1.254593°W / 51.755871; -1.254593Coordinates: 51°45′21″N 1°15′17″W / 51.755871°N 1.254593°W / 51.755871; -1.254593
Latin name	Collegium Wadhamensi
Established	1610 (1610)
Named for	Dorothy (née Petre) and Nicholas Wadham
Sister college	Christ's College, Cambridge
Warden	Lord Macdonald of River Glaven
Undergraduates	447 (2011/2012)
Postgraduates	149
Website	www.wadham.ox.ac.uk
Boat club	Boatclub
Map
Location in Oxford city centre

Wadham College /ˈwɒdəm/ is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.

Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy Wadham, according to the will of her late husband Nicholas Wadham, a member of an ancient Devon and Somerset family. The central buildings, a notable example of Jacobean architecture, were designed by the architect William Arnold and erected between 1610 and 1613. They include a large and ornate Hall. Adjacent to the central buildings are the Wadham Gardens, notable for their collection of trees and one of the largest gardens amongst Oxford colleges.

Amongst Wadham's most famous alumni is Sir Christopher Wren. Wren was one of a brilliant group of experimental scientists at Oxford in the 1650s, the Oxford Philosophical Club, which included Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke. This group held regular meetings at Wadham College under the guidance of the warden, John Wilkins, and the group formed the nucleus which went on to found the Royal Society.

Wadham is a liberal and progressive college which aims to maintain the diversity of its student body and a friendly atmosphere. In 1974 it was among the first of the former men's colleges to admit women, and the college has been a promoter of gay rights and equal rights for women. In 2011 it became the first Oxford college to fly the rainbow flag as part of queer week, a celebration of sexual diversity and individuality