Exeter College was founded in 1314 by Walter de Stapeldon who became Bishop of Exeter and Treasurer of England under Edward II. It was originally known as Stapeldon Hall and its members mainly came from the south-western counties, especially Devon and Cornwall. All that remains of this medieval college is the building known as Palmer's Tower.
Through the generosity of Sir William Petre, a former undergraduate and one of the leading statesmen of his time, the college's fortunes were transformed by new property and a wider area of recruitment. The results were seen in the early seventeenth century when Exeter became one of the leading colleges in the University
George Gilbert Scott, who was inspired at the time by French gothic architecture, was employed in the 1850’s to design the new chapel in the style of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. The buildings of Margary Quadrangle, whose rooms and gate tower overlook Broad Street , are from the 19th and 20th century. The tower was also designed by George Gilbert Scott.