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Notes in italics from Oxfordshire by Jennifer Sherwood and Nikolaus Pevsner (1974)
Yale University Press, New Haven and London.

The college was founded in 1509 ... The name comes from Brasenose Hall (and probably its door-knocker) which stood on part of the site of the college. Old Quad was begun in 1509 and shows one characteristic of a C16 date at once: the typical college windows, mostly of two lights or one, have uncusped round-arched heads (best seen in last picture, round the corner). The quad is of two storeys with a third added c.1605-35 and battlements. To Radcliffe Square the front has the distinction of three pretty oriels.

The gate tower of 1512 is panelled all the way up and has an oriel high up flanked by two statue niches. ... The gateway has a four-centred entrance arch with quatrefoiled spandrels ... 

To the l. of the front is the library range (over the cloister) and then the E end of the chapel ... The cloister was built in 1657-9, and the library on the first floor seems to have followed immediately. The chapel was built in 1656-66 ... The cloister has to Radcliffe Square windows like the adjoining parts, whereas the library has nine closely set transomed two-light windows, with aprons. This incorrect motif shows that we are dealing here with the re-management done by Wyatt in 1779-80 ... How the fenestration might have been if it were still of c.1660 is evident from the southernmost window ... It has a Venetian oriel window with thick garlands and other decorative motifs accompanying those of the chapel ... The chapel E front adds an accent to the whole of the square without which it would be much the poorer. The E window ... is pure Gothic Revival indeed and incorrect only in so far as the top of the tracery with radiating arched panels is not a circle but a horizontally placed oval. Also the angles are pilasters, and above the window is a big wilfully in-curved open pediment, and above that again a crocketed parapet with urns. ...