Radcliffe Camera
A typical touristy shot of the Rad Cam from atop St Mary’s Church tower
The Radcliffe Camera predates the Kodak Box Brownie by around a century and a half, but utterly failed to popularise low-cost photography because it was a large, stone construction designed not for portable image capture but the storage of books.
It dates from 1749, a time when camera was just a Latin word meaning ‘room’.
Despite not being open to the public, the “Rad Cam” still proves a huge draw for Oxford’s droves of tourists; indeed, many people would regard it as the icon of the town, being Oxford’s most recognisable landmark. Thus, in a twist of bitter semantic irony, the Camera is a strong contender for Oxford’s most-photographed building, despite being incapable of returning fire.