The Quadrangle design is based on those of Oxford and Cambridge.
It contains one of only three carillons in Australia, the others being located on Aspen Island, Canberra and in Bathurst.

The Quadrangle is categorised under Sandstone Universities which are informally known as Australia's oldest universities.
Commonly known as the first building for Australia's first university, the Quadrangle itself is built in an anachronistic style, which was already outdated by the time it was built.
Edmund Blacket, one of the architects responsible for the design of the Quadrangle, was also known for other works in Sydney such as St Andrew's Cathedral.
Blacket primarily focused on Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, which influenced James Barnet's design of Sydney University's Andersen Stuart Building.
In 1924, the Quadrangle comprised four walls, in which are included bronze pipes which state the year they were placed.
The final completion of the Quadrangle's exterior display was during the 1960s, which included work on the West Tower.

There are a variety of gargoyles located across the walls of the Quadrangle and its towers.
Some serve the functional purpose of waterspouts and draining water from buildings, but many are simply decorative gargoyles, also known as 'grotesque'.
The abundance of a variety of gargoyles featured in the Quadrangle’s architecture relates to gargoyles being characteristic of Neo-Gothic medieval architecture, as they have a symbolic role of warding off evil spirits in the Catholic tradition.
Traditionally, gargoyles often depicted fantastical and mythical creatures, but in the turn of the 12th century stonemasons started incorporating real animals; both kinds of creatures can be found on the Quadrangle.
Such medieval influenced architecture, although partially appropriated to a local context, directly mimic designs of esteemed Cambridge and Oxford universities in England.

In the 1850s, under the direction of Blacket, three stonemasons worked on the clock tower gargoyles: Joseph Popplewell, Edwin Colley, and Barnet.
The infusion of Australian flora and fauna with traditional medieval Neo-Gothic influences is evident in some of the Quadrangle’s distinctive gargoyles.
There is a kangaroo gargoyle on the clocktower (right hand side, facing towards the city) and a crocodile gargoyle on the inside of the clock tower, that are different from the traditional gargoyles on the Quadrangle.
In addition, there are kookaburras above the entrance to the northern foyer.

Adjacent to the Quadrangle is the University's Great Hall, which holds an organ designed by Rudolf von Beckerath of Hamburg.
The Quadrangle design is based on those of Oxford and Cambridge. It contains one of only three carillons in Australia, the others being located on Aspen Island, Canberra and in Bathurst.
The Quadrangle is categorised under Sandstone Universities which are informally known as Australia's oldest universities. Commonly known as the first building for Australia's first university, the Quadrangle itself is built in an anachronistic style, which was already outdated by the time it was built. Edmund Blacket, one of the architects responsible for the design of the Quadrangle, was also known for other works in Sydney such as St Andrew's Cathedral. Blacket primarily focused on Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, which influenced James Barnet's design of Sydney University's Andersen Stuart Building. In 1924, the Quadrangle comprised four walls, in which are included bronze pipes which state the year they were placed. The final completion of the Quadrangle's exterior display was during the 1960s, which included work on the West Tower.
There are a variety of gargoyles located across the walls of the Quadrangle and its towers. Some serve the functional purpose of waterspouts and draining water from buildings, but many are simply decorative gargoyles, also known as 'grotesque'. The abundance of a variety of gargoyles featured in the Quadrangle’s architecture relates to gargoyles being characteristic of Neo-Gothic medieval architecture, as they have a symbolic role of warding off evil spirits in the Catholic tradition. Traditionally, gargoyles often depicted fantastical and mythical creatures, but in the turn of the 12th century stonemasons started incorporating real animals; both kinds of creatures can be found on the Quadrangle. Such medieval influenced architecture, although partially appropriated to a local context, directly mimic designs of esteemed Cambridge and Oxford universities in England.
In the 1850s, under the direction of Blacket, three stonemasons worked on the clock tower gargoyles: Joseph Popplewell, Edwin Colley, and Barnet. The infusion of Australian flora and fauna with traditional medieval Neo-Gothic influences is evident in some of the Quadrangle’s distinctive gargoyles. There is a kangaroo gargoyle on the clocktower (right hand side, facing towards the city) and a crocodile gargoyle on the inside of the clock tower, that are different from the traditional gargoyles on the Quadrangle. In addition, there are kookaburras above the entrance to the northern foyer.
Adjacent to the Quadrangle is the University's Great Hall, which holds an organ designed by Rudolf von Beckerath of Hamburg.
University of Sydney Quadrangle