Magdalen College (, )
is a
constituent college of the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. It was founded in 1458 by
William of Waynflete.
Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a
financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the strongest academically, setting the record for the highest
Norrington Score in 2010 and topping the table twice since then.
It is home to several of the university's distinguished
chairs, including the
Agnelli-Serena Professorship, the
Sherardian Professorship, and the four
Waynflete Professorships.
The large, square
Magdalen Tower is an
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
landmark, and it is a tradition, dating to the days of
Henry VII, that the college choir sings from the top of it at 6 a.m. on
May Morning
May Morning is an annual event in Oxford, United Kingdom, on May Day (1 May).
Event
The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower, a tradition s ...
.
The college stands next to the
River Cherwell and the
University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Within its grounds are a deer park and
Addison's Walk.
History
Foundation
Magdalen College was founded in 1458 by
William of Waynflete,
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except ...
and
Lord Chancellor of England
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister ...
and named after
St Mary Magdalene. The college succeeded a
university hall called Magdalen Hall, founded by Waynflete in 1448, and from which the college drew most of its earliest scholars.
Magdalen Hall was suppressed when the college was founded. The name was revived for a second Magdalen Hall, established in the college's grounds around 1490, which in the 19th century was moved to Catte Street and became
Hertford College.
Waynflete also established a school, now
Magdalen College School, an
independent school located nearby on the other side of the Cherwell. Waynflete was assisted by a large bequest from Sir
John Fastolf, who wished to fund a religious college.
Magdalen College took over the site of St John the Baptist Hospital, alongside the
Cherwell, initially using the hospital's buildings until new construction was completed between 1470 and 1480.
At incorporation in 1458, the college consisted of a president and six scholars. In 1487 when the Founder's Statutes were written, the foundation consisted of a President, 40 fellows, 30
demies, four chaplain priests, eight clerks, 16 choristers, and appointed to the Grammar School, a Master and an usher.
The founder's statutes included provision for a choral foundation of men and boys (a tradition that has continued to the present day) and made reference to the pronunciation of the name of the college in English. The college's name is pronounced like the adjective
maudlin because the late medieval English name of Mary Magdalene was Maudelen, derived from the Old French Madelaine.
English Civil War
Oxford and Magdalen College were supporters of the
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...
cause during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...
. In 1642, Magdalen College donated over 296
lbs of plate to fund the war effort – the largest donation by weight of any Oxford college.
Magdalen College, commanding a position on the banks of the Cherwell that overlooked
Magdalen Bridge and the road from London, had tactical significance for the King's forces. From 1643 to 1645, Magdalen's Grove was occupied by the Royalist ordnance, and
Prince Rupert is thought to have quartered in the college.
The city built fortifications in preparation for siege through Magdalen's grounds, including Dover's Speare (or Pier), a bastion that would have allowed observation to the north and east of the city. The earthworks where it was located, in the Water Meadow where the Cherwell forks, are still apparent today.
Further fortifications and earthworks were built to protect the Holywell Ford site to the north.
During the first
Siege of Oxford,
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
surveyed the battle from
Magdalen Tower.
Following the capitulation of Oxford to
Thomas Fairfax at the end of the First English Civil War,
Parliament ordered a Visitation to Oxford to purge Fellows for political and religious reasons. In 1647, the Visitors removed the then-president of Magdalen
John Oliver and appointed instead one of their number,
John Wilkinson, a former Principal of Magdalen Hall who had previously run unsuccessfully for the position of President at the college. When they refused to submit to the authority of Parliament, around 28 of the fellows, 21 of the
demies (scholars), and all but one of the servants were also expelled. With the Royalists finally removed, the college would host Fairfax and
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...
in 1649.
After the
Restoration of the monarchy
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
*Restoration ecology
...
in 1660 John Oliver was reappointed to the college, followed by 17 fellows and eight demies.
Expulsion of the Fellows
During the 1680s,
King James II made several moves to reintroduce
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
into the then
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...
university.
In 1687, he attempted to install
Anthony Farmer
Anthony Farmer (born 1657Jerome Bertram‘Farmer, Anthony (b. 1657)’ ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 7 September 2008) was an Englishman nominated by King James II to the office of President o ...
as
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of Magdalen. The
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
s rejected this, not just because Farmer was reputedly a Catholic and had a tarnished reputation, but also as he was not a fellow of the college, and therefore ineligible under the statutes.
The fellows elected instead one of their own,
John Hough. James eventually offered a compromise candidate in the form of the moderate
Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Parker,
but he too was rejected by the fellows as they considered the role filled.
Parker was admitted by force
and the fellows and demies who had defied the king were expelled, replaced by the king's choice of Catholics or moderate Anglicans. Parker died in 1688 and was replaced by
Bonaventure Giffard
Bonaventure Giffard (1642–1734) was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District of England from 1687 to 1703 and Vicar Apostolic of the London District of England from 1703 to 1734.
Life
He was the seco ...
, a Catholic under whose tenure the Chapel converted to Catholicism.
The expulsion of the fellows marked a turning point in the university's relationship with the Crown: Brockliss writes, "the royalist and Anglican University established at the Restoration had had to make a choice and it had chosen Anglicanism."
James' interference with the college fed resentment in Anglicans who used it as evidence that his rule was autocratic.
On 25 October 1688, shortly before the
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
and overthrow of James II by
William of Orange, James' appointments were reversed and Hough and the expelled fellows were restored to the college.
This event is marked every year at a special banquet, the Restoration Dinner, for Magdalen fellows, demies, and academic clerks.
20th–21st centuries
Magdalen's prominence since the mid-20th century owes much to such famous fellows as
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...
and
A. J. P. Taylor, and its academic success to the work of such dons as
Thomas Dewar Weldon. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
,
RAF Maintenance Command was headquartered at Magdalen.
Magdalen College owns and manages the
Oxford Science Park to the south of Oxford, a science and technology park home to over 100 companies. The Oxford Science Park opened in 1991, with Magdalen as part owner. The college acquired total ownership in 2016,
before selling 40% of its stake in 2021 for £160 million.
It was reported that this sale will more than double the size of Magdalen's endowment fund, and make it "probably the richest of Oxford's 39 colleges".
Like many of Oxford's colleges, Magdalen admitted its first mixed-sex cohort in 1979, after more than half a millennium as a men-only institution.
Between 2015 and 2017, 47.2% of UK undergraduates admitted to Magdalen were from state schools; 12.2% were of
BME ("black and ethnic minority") heritage and 0.7% were black. Of the 300 undergraduate offers made by Magdalen between 2017 and 2019, 25 (one in twelve) went to pupils from Eton College or Westminster School.
Buildings
The college grounds stretch north and east from the college, and include most of the area bounded by
Longwall Street
View north along Longwall Street
Longwall Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It runs for about 300 metres along the western flank of Magdalen College. A high, imposing 15th century stone wall separates the college from the street al ...
, the
High Street (where the
porter's lodge
A porters' lodge or porter's lodge (colloquially, plodge) is a place near the entrance of a building where one or more porters can be found to respond to student enquiries as well as enquires from the public and direct them around the building ...
is located), and
St Clement's. The college features a variety of architectural styles, and has been described as "a medieval nucleus with two incomplete additions, one from the eighteenth and one from the nineteenth century".
The college is organised around five quads. The irregularly shaped St John's Quad is the first on entering the college, and includes the Outdoor Pulpit and old Grammar Hall. It connects to the Great Quad (the Cloister) via the Perpendicular Gothic
Founders Tower, which is richly decorated with carvings and pinnacles and has carved bosses in its vault. The Chaplain's Quad runs along the side of the Chapel and Hall, to the foot of the
Great Tower. St Swithun's Quad and Longwall Quad (which contains the Library) date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and make up the southwest corner of the college.
Original buildings
The college is built on the site of St John the Baptist Hospital, which was dissolved in 1457 and its property granted to William of Waynflete.
['Hospitals: St John the Baptist, Oxford', in A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 2, ed. William Page (London, 1907), pp. 158–159. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol2/pp158-159 ccessed 5 February 2020] Some of the hospital buildings were reused by the college, and the kitchens survive today as the college bar, the Old Kitchen Bar.
["Magdalen College", in ''A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3'', the University of Oxford, ed. H. E. Salter and Mary D. Lobel (London, 1954), pp. 193–207. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol3/pp193-207 ccessed 5 February 2020]
New construction began in 1470 with the erection of a wall around the site by mason
William Orchard. Following this, Orchard also worked on the chapel, hall, and the cloister, including the Muniment and
Founder's Towers, with work completed around 1480.
Cloister
The Cloister or Great Quad is the "medieval nucleus" of the college. It was constructed between 1474 and 1480, also by Orchard, although several modifications were made later. Access to the Cloister from St John's Quad is via the
Founder's Tower or Muniment Tower. The chapel and the hall make up the southern side of the quad. It is also home to the junior, middle, and senior common rooms, and the old library.
In 1508,
grotesques known as hieroglyphics were added to the Cloister. These are thought to be allegorical, and include four hieroglyphics in front of the old library that represent scholarly subjects: science, medicine, law, and theology.
The other hieroglyphics have been assigned symbolism relating to virtues that should be encouraged by the college (e.g. the lion and pelican grotesques in front of the Senior Common Room representing courage and parental affection) or vices that should be avoided (the
manticore, boxers, and
lamia in front of the Junior Common Room, representing pride, contention, and lust).
In 2017, repair work was undertaken to restore the severely damaged boxers statue.
In 1822, the north side of the Cloister was knocked down, ostensibly due to disrepair. This decision was controversial, provoking protests from the fellows and in the contemporary press, and it was rebuilt shortly afterwards.
In the early 1900s, renovations were performed, and it was returned to a more medieval character. Student rooms were installed in the (very large) roof space in the 1980s.
Chapel
The chapel is a
place of worship for members of the college and others in the University of Oxford community and beyond. As a
High Anglican chapel, its tradition is influenced by the
Catholic Revival
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) ...
in the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
. Said and sung services are held daily during term.
The choir sings Choral
Evensong or Evening Prayer every day at 6:00 pm except on Mondays.
On Sundays, a Sung Eucharist is offered in the morning at 11:00 am.
Compline (Night Prayer) is sung once each week, and is followed by a service of
Benediction twice per term.
Mass is also sung on major holy days.
The chapel itself is a grade I
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
built between 1474 and 1480.
The roof, giving the impression of a stone vaulted ceiling, is in fact a facsimile made from plaster added in 1790 by
James Wyatt. Wyatt's redevelopment of the chapel included a number of modifications to make it more Gothic in character, but other than the ceiling, Wyatt's contributions were removed during a later redesign in 1828.
The
stained glass windows facing St John's Quad feature a ''
grisaille'' depiction of the
Last Judgement. These windows, dating from 1792, are a reconstruction by
Francis Eginton
Francis Eginton (1737–1805), sometimes spelled Egginton, was an English glass painter. He painted windows for cathedrals, churches, chapels and stately homes, etc., around the country, leaving 50 large works altogether; his work was also expo ...
of an earlier 17th-century window that was destroyed in a storm.
It had been uninstalled during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
to protect it from damage, and was only restored in the 1990s. Much of the glass had been thought lost, until it was rediscovered in the ventilation tunnels under the New Building.
Magdalen Tower
Construction of Magdalen's Great Tower began in 1492 by another mason, William Raynold. It might have been intended to replace an existing belfry remaining from the hospital, and probably was originally envisioned to stand alone. By the time it was completed in 1509, additional buildings had been built either side, creating the roughly triangular Chaplain's quad between the chapel and the High.
The tower contains a peal of ten bells hung for
English change ringing. They were cast at a number of different
foundries and the heaviest, weighing 17
cwt, was cast in 1623.
The tower is 144 feet tall and an imposing landmark on the eastern approaches to the city centre.
It has been the model for other towers, including Mitchell Tower of the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
,
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's
First Presbyterian Church, and All Saints' Church in
Churchill, Oxfordshire
Churchill is a village and civil parish about southwest of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Since 2012 it has been part of the Churchill and Sarsden joint parish council area, sharing a parish c ...
. It forms the centre of the
May Morning
May Morning is an annual event in Oxford, United Kingdom, on May Day (1 May).
Event
The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower, a tradition s ...
celebrations in Oxford, from which the choir sing pieces including the
Hymnus Eucharisticus and the Dean of Divinity blesses the University, city, and crowds.
The New Building
During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were numerous attempts made to redesign the site to better suit the college's needs.
The New Building began construction in 1733 as a part of
Edward Holdsworth
Edward Holdsworth (1684–1746) was an English classical scholar, known as a neo-Latin poet.
Early life
The son of Thomas Holdsworth, rector of North Stoneham, Hampshire, he was born there on 6 August 1684, and baptised on 3 September. He was e ...
's designs from 1731. It is built in a
Palladian style, and features a
colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...
.
It was conceived as one side of a new "Great Quadrangle", and in anticipation of this the building's ends had been left unfinished. However, Holdsworth's full vision was never completed. The idea was revisited several times by later architects, including by architects
James Wyatt—whose plans (never realised) included partially demolishing the existing, Medieval quad (the Cloister) and refinishing the neoclassical New Building in a
Georgian Gothic style—and
John Buckler.
In the 19th century,
John Nash and
Humphrey Repton
Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of ...
both submitted designs for new, open quadrangles that incorporated the New Building.
Ultimately, the idea of integrating the New Building into a new quad was abandoned, and the ends of the building were finally completed in 1824 with two returns designed by
Thomas Harrison.
Today, it stands apart from the Cloister, overlooking four
croquet lawns on one side and the Grove deer park on the other. It is used for accommodation for undergraduates and fellows, including historically
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, '' The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, i ...
and
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...
, and also houses the wine cellar.
Daubeny laboratory
Opposite the main college site and overlooking the
Botanic Garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
is the 19th century Daubeny Laboratory.
The Garden had been established between 1622 and 1633 as a
physic garden
A physic garden is a type of herb garden with medicinal plants. Botanical gardens developed from them.
History
Modern botanical gardens were preceded by medieval physic gardens, often monastic gardens, that existed by 800 at least. Gardens o ...
(that is, a garden to study the medicinal value of plants) on land inherited by Magdalen from St. John's Hospital.
The Daubeny Laboratory, and neighbouring Professor's House, were founded by the
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
and Magdalen fellow
Charles Daubeny
Charles Giles Bridle Daubeny (11 February 179512 December 1867) was an English chemist, botanist and geologist.
Education
Daubeny was born at Stratton near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, the son of the Rev. James Daubeny. He went to Winchester ...
after he was appointed to the
Sherardian Chair of Botany in 1834.
Daubeny set about a number of additions to the location, erecting new glasshouses and in 1836 creating an on-site residence for the Professor of Botany. This replaced an earlier residence that had been demolished in 1795 when the road was widened. The new residence was an extension of the library, which had been created out of a glasshouse by an earlier Sherardian professor,
John Sibthorp, to house the Sherard
herbarium
A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (calle ...
. After Daubeny's death, this was assimilated to house the growing collection.
Later, it became accommodation for graduate students, the Professor's House, while the Sherard Herbarium is now part of the Fielding-Druce Herbarium held in the
Department of Plant Sciences.
Daubeny, who was also the
Aldrichian Professor of Chemistry, had found the chemistry laboratory in the basement of the old
Ashmolean Museum, what is now the
History of Science Museum, to be "notoriously unworthy of a great University" and desired a better science facility. He petitioned the college to be allowed to build one, and the Daubeny laboratory was completed in 1848.
The Daubeny Laboratory was preceded by the anatomy school and laboratory at
Christ Church which opened in 1767, and would be followed later in the century by other college laboratories including the
Balliol-Trinity Laboratories.
Daubeny's laboratory was a two-storey room with benches and cupboards encircled by a gallery, and became the principal chemistry lab for the university. In 1902, due to growing student numbers and poor ventilation, the laboratory trappings were removed and it was refitted as a lecture hall.
In 1973, most of the Daubeny Laboratory building was reconfigured into graduate student accommodation.
The Daubeny lab itself is now a conference space.
St Swithun's quad
In 1880–1884, the college extended westwards onto the former site of
Magdalen Hall. The hall was an independent
academic hall
Academic Hall was the original main building of the University of Missouri. It was dedicated in 1843 and destroyed by fire in 1892. Academic Hall's six Ionic columns, today known as The Columns, stand on Francis Quadrangle as the most recogniza ...
that developed from Magdalen College School, not the earlier Magdalen Hall founded by William Waynflete.
Most of Magdalen Hall's buildings were destroyed by fire in 1820, though the Grammar Hall survived and was restored by Joseph Parkinson.
The hall moved to Catte Street in 1822 and was incorporated as
Hertford College in 1874.
The new construction,
St Swithun's quad
(sometimes given as St. Swithin's quad
), was designed by
George Frederick Bodley and
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner (1839–1906) was one of the leading English Gothic revival architects of the Victorian era. He is known for his almost 30-year partnership with architect George Frederick Bodley.
Early life
Born at Wasperton Hill Farm in War ...
in keeping with the Gothic style. They had originally designed three sides of a square, though only the south and west sides were built. In 1928,
Giles Gilbert Scott extended the building north and westwards, forming the adjacent Longwall quad.
Modern buildings and acquisitions
Several new additions to the college were made in the late 20th century. The Waynflete Building, which is located across Magdalen Bridge from the main college site, was designed by
Booth, Ledeboer, and Pinckheard and completed in 1964.
Magdalen has a number of additional annexes near to the main site for accommodation, including in Cowley Place and
Longwall Street
View north along Longwall Street
Longwall Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It runs for about 300 metres along the western flank of Magdalen College. A high, imposing 15th century stone wall separates the college from the street al ...
.
The Grove Buildings, located north of Longwall quad between Longwall Street and the Grove, were built in 1994–1999 by
Porphyrios Associates
Demetri Porphyrios ( el, Δημήτρης Πορφυρίου; born 1949) is a Greek architect and author who practices architecture in London as principal of the firm Porphyrios Associates. In addition to his architectural practice and writin ...
. They are home to accommodation, Magdalen's 160-seat auditorium, and the Denning Law Library.
During term time, the auditorium hosts film screenings organised by the Magdalen Film Society.
Along Addison's Walk is the Holywell Ford site, where most of the graduate accommodation is located. Holywell Ford house was built by
Clapton Crabb Rolfe
Clapton Crabb Rolfe (5 March 1845 – 18 December 1907) was an English Gothic Revival architect whose practice was based in Oxford.
Family
Rolfe was the second of nine children. His father was Rev. George Crabb Rolfe (1811–93) who was perpetua ...
in 1888 on the location of an older mill, and was acquired by Magdalen in the 1970s.
Additional blocks of accommodation were built in 1994-5 by RH Partnership Ltd.
Libraries
In addition to the university's central and departmental libraries, Oxford's colleges maintain their own libraries. The original college library, the Old Library, is located in the Cloister and accessed via Founder's Tower or the President's Lodgings. It contains a large collection of manuscripts from before the 19th century. Consultation of material is typically by appointment, although the Old Library itself may be visited by the public during certain exhibitions.
In 1931, the New Library, now called the Longwall Library, was established in the former
Magdalen College School building in Longwall Quad and became the college's main library for students. It was opened by
Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...
when he was a student at Magdalen.
It was renovated between 2014 and 2016 by
Wright & Wright Architects and reopened by
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
In addition, the college maintains the Denning Law Library in the Grove building, a reference library for Magdalen's law students, and the specialist Daubeny and McFarlane collections of 19th century scientific works and medieval history works respectively. Items from the Daubeny and McFarlane libraries may be brought to the Longwall Library for consultation on request.
Grounds
The Grove
The Grove or deer park is a large meadow which occupies most of the north west of the college's grounds, from the New Building and the Grove Buildings to Holywell Ford. During the winter and spring, it is the home of a herd of
fallow deer. It is possible to view the meadow and the deer from the path between New Buildings and Grove Quad, and also from the archway in New Buildings.
In the 16th Century, as recorded in a map from 1578, the Grove consisted of formal enclosed gardens, tree-lined avenues, an orchard, and a fish pond. By 1630, a bowling green had replaced the orchard.
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
, between 1642 and 1645, the Grove became home to the workshops, forges, and foundries of Royal Ordinance. Following this, the landscaping began to transition from formal gardens to more natural parkland, and the water walks were landscaped. Deer began being cultivated in the college by at least the 1720s, and by the early 19th century the formal gardens had completely disappeared and college Fellow Dr Bloxham noted that the entire Grove had been given over to the deer.
At one point in the 19th century it was home to three traction engines belonging to the works department of the college. By the 20th century it had become well-wooded with many large trees, but most of them were lost to
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into America, Europe ...
in the 1970s.
Water meadow and Addison's Walk
The water meadow is a
flood-meadow to the eastern side of the college, bounded on all sides by the
Cherwell. In wet winters, some or all of the meadow may flood, as the meadow is lower lying than the surrounding path. All around the edge of the meadow is a tree-lined path,
Addison's Walk, named for the fellow
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richar ...
(1672–1719), which connects to Holywell Ford and the Fellows' Garden.
Addison's Walk is popular with College members and visitors.
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...
wrote a poem about the walk, ''Chanson d'Aventure'' or ''What the Bird Said Early in the Year'', which is commemorated on a plaque near the gate to Holywell Ford.
Thanks to the frequent flooding, the meadow is one of the few places in the
UK that the snake's head fritillary, ''
Fritillaria meleagris'', may be seen growing wild.
These flowers grow in very few places, and have been recorded growing in the meadow since around 1785.
Once the flowering has finished, the deer herd is moved in for the summer and autumn.
Bat Willow meadow and the Fellows' Garden
Further east of the water meadow are Bat Willow meadow and the Fellows' Garden. They are separated from the water meadow and each other by other branches of the Cherwell, and may be accessed from Addison's Walk. Bat Willow meadow features ''Y'', a 10 metre high sculpture of a branching tree by
Mark Wallinger, commissioned for the college's 550th anniversary in 2008.
Due to their age and infection with
honey fungus, the
willow trees were cut down in 2018 and replanted, and the wood used to make
cricket bats.
The Fellows' Garden is located further north along the bank of the Cherwell than Bat Willow meadow, directly behind the
Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. This long and narrow garden follows the Cherwell to the edge of the
University Parks. Further north is
Magdalen's sports ground.
Choir
Magdalen is one of the three choral foundations in Oxford, meaning that the formation of the choir was part of the statutes of the college, the other choral foundations being
New College and
Christ Church. It performs during chapel services, college
gaudies and at other special events throughout the year. As part of Oxford's annual
May Morning
May Morning is an annual event in Oxford, United Kingdom, on May Day (1 May).
Event
The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower, a tradition s ...
in a tradition that dates back 500 years, at 6 a.m. on 1 May, the choir perform
Hymnus Eucharisticus from the top of Magdalen's Tower to crowds below on Madgalen Bridge and the High Street.
The choir consists of twelve
academical clerks, or choral scholars, and two organ scholars, who are all students at the college, and sixteen choristers, all of whom have scholarships at
Magdalen College School, and is led by a director of music known as the Informator Choristarum, currently
Mark Williams.
Mark Williams succeeded Daniel Hyde in 2017, following Hyde's appointment as Organist and Director of Music of
Saint Thomas Church, New York. Among the other former directors of the choir are
John Sheppard (1543–c.1552),
John Varley Roberts, Sir
William McKie,
Haldane Campbell Stewart and the composer
Bill Ives (1991–2009).
Past academical clerks include
John Mark Ainsley,
Harry Christophers
Richard Henry Tudor "Harry" Christophers CBE FRSCM (born 26 December 1953) is an English conductor.
Life and career
Richard Henry Tudor Christophers was born in Goudhurst, Kent. He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under choirmaster Al ...
(founder and director of
The Sixteen),
James Whitbourn
James Whitbourn (born 1963) is a British composer and conductor.
Biography
James Whitbourn was born in Kent and educated at Skinners' School before winning a scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he gained his first two degrees. H ...
,
Peter Harvey,
Robin Blaze
Robin Blaze (born 1971 in Manchester) is an English countertenor.
Early life
The son of Peter Blaze, a professional golfer, and Christine, Blaze and his brother Mark grew up in Shadwell, near Leeds, and was educated at Leeds Grammar School, ...
,
Paul Agnew,
Roderick Williams
Roderick Gregory Coleman Williams OBE (born 1965) is a British baritone and composer.
Biography
Williams was born in North London to a Welsh father and a Jamaican mother. He attended Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford and Haberdashers' A ...
and conductor/composer
Gregory Rose. The choir has had many well-known organists, such as
Daniel Purcell, Sir
John Stainer
Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of ''The Crucifixion'', still heard at Passiontide in some churches of the Anglican Communi ...
(1860–1872) and
Bernard Rose (1957–1981). Past organ scholars include
Dudley Moore and
Paul Brough.
As well as performing during chapel services, the choir tours and records music. In 2005, the choir was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for its
CD, ''With a Merrie Noyse'', of music by
Orlando Gibbons
Orlando Gibbons ( bapt. 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical fam ...
.
Other recent works include the BBC's ''
The Blue Planet'' and Paul McCartney's classical piece ''
Ecce Cor Meum
''Ecce Cor Meum'' (Latin for ''Behold My Heart'') is the fourth classical album by Paul McCartney. The album was released on 25 September 2006 by EMI Classics. An oratorio in four movements, it is produced by John Fraser, written in Latin and En ...
''.
Student life
Accommodation
Undergraduate students of the college are guaranteed accommodation during term for their entire degree, typically in the Waynflete building in their first year and "inside-walls" in the Cloister, St Swithun's Quad, the New Building and so on in subsequent years. Graduate students are guaranteed at least two years of accommodation. Unlike undergraduates, graduates are not required to move out between terms and typically live "outside walls", including in Holywell Ford, the Daubeny Laboratory, and Professor's House.
Accommodation charges are inclusive of heating, power, and internet access, and weekly cleaning by the college
scouts (housekeepers), but do not include catering. Three cafeteria-style meals a day are served in the hall, and other food is available in the Old Kitchen Bar.
In addition to a dinner cafeteria service served in the hall, four
Formal Halls are held a week during term time. These are three-course sit-down dinners and require college members to wear their
gowns
A gown, from the Saxon word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the term ''gow ...
. Additional banquets commemorate special occasions, including the Restoration Dinner.
Events and societies
The body of undergraduate and graduate students are known as the junior and middle common rooms (JCR and MCR) respectively. They each elect committees of students annually to organise welfare events, socials, and banquets.
In addition to clubs and societies associated with the
Oxford University Student Union
The Oxford University Student Union is the official students' union of the University of Oxford. It is better known in Oxford under the branding Oxford SU or by its previous name of OUSU. It exists to represent Oxford University students i ...
operated at the university level, Magdalen members may also participate in several college societies.
The Atkin Society and the Sherrington Society are two subject-specific societies, for law students and medicine students respectively. They organise talks and social events. The Atkin society is named for lawyer
James Atkin, Baron Atkin, a former demy at Magdalen, and also organises annually a Christmas Dinner for its members,
moot court
Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase " ...
presided over by a guest judge, and summer garden party. The Sherrington Society is named after Nobel laureate Sir
Charles Scott Sherrington
Sir Charles Scott Sherrington (27 November 1857 – 4 March 1952) was an eminent English neurophysiologist. His experimental research established many aspects of contemporary neuroscience, including the concept of the spinal reflex as a system ...
, former Waynflete Professor of Physiology. The college also has a poetry discussion forum called the Florio Society, named for 16th century college alumnus
John Florio
Giovanni Florio (1552–1625), known as John Florio, was an English linguist, poet, writer, translator, lexicographer, and royal language tutor at the Court of James I. He is recognised as the most important Renaissance humanist in England. ...
.
A number of other societies put on events throughout the year. These include the Magdalen Players, a drama society; the Magdalen Music Society; and the Magdalen Film Society, which screens films during term time in the Grove Auditorium.
The Magdalen College Music Society is a chapter of the
Oxford University Music Society
ThOxford University Music Society (OUMS)ref name="head01"> is one of the oldest societies in the University of Oxford, England, tracing its origins back to 1872. The Society was formed in 1916 by the merger of the Oxford University Musical Club, f ...
and incorporates a non-auditioned mixed choir, a
chamber orchestra, and a saxophone ensemble. The society performs recitals in college on Thursdays during term time.
The Magdalen College Trust is an independent charity that is funded by annual subscriptions from students and fellows. It encourages college members to engage in charity work, and funds charitable causes.
Academia
In the
Norrington Table
The Norrington Table is an annual ranking of the colleges of the University of Oxford based on a score computed from the proportions of undergraduate students earning each of the various degree classifications based on that year's final examinat ...
's history Magdalen has been top three times, in 2010, 2012 and 2015. When over half its finalists achieved firsts in 2010, it claimed the record for the highest ever Norrington Score. Magdalen has the second highest average Norrington Table score from 2006-2019, only behind Merton College.
Magdalen College students have a successful record in the ''
University Challenge'' television competition, winning on four occasions (1997, 1998, 2004, and 2011). This is the joint highest number of series wins, tied with Manchester University, and at the time of Magdalen's third win no other institution had won more than twice.
Sports
Magdalen members have access to a variety of sports facilities. The Magdalen College Recreation Ground, accessible from the main college via Addison's Walk, include pitches for cricket, soccer, hockey, and rugby; also available on site are tennis courts and squash courts. The Recreation Ground played host to a
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
match in 1912, when Oxford played the touring
South Africans. The match was heavily affected by rain and ended in a draw, but did see Oxford's
John Evans make scores of 56 and 107, in addition to taking a
five wicket haul
In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batsman.
Taki ...
in the South Africans first innings. During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, there were talks between the college and the local allotment association to turn the ground in allotments to aid the war effort, but both parties were unable to reach an agreement.
In addition, the college buys gym membership at the Iffley Road sports complex on behalf of all its students. The college keeps a boathouse on
The Isis (the length of the
Thames as it passes through Oxford) for the
Magdalen College Boat Club
Magdalen College Boat Club (MCBC) is a rowing club for members of Magdalen College, Oxford. It is based on the Isis at Boathouse Island, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford, Oxford.
History
The club founded in 1859 shares a boathouse with Linacre Coll ...
(MCBC).
The
Magdalen College Boat Club
Magdalen College Boat Club (MCBC) is a rowing club for members of Magdalen College, Oxford. It is based on the Isis at Boathouse Island, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford, Oxford.
History
The club founded in 1859 shares a boathouse with Linacre Coll ...
(MCBC), a
rowing club, was founded in 1859. It participates in the two annual Oxford
bumps race
A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and ‘bump’ the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind.
The form is mainly used in intercollegiat ...
s,
Eights Week and
Torpids. In recent history, the MCBC men's rowers won Eights Week between 2004 and 2007, and the Torpids most recently in 2008 (for the men's rowers) and 2016 (women's).
As well as the MCBC, Magdalen College is represented by teams in football, hockey, rugby, netball, cricket, lacrosse, squash and pool, amongst others.
College stamp
A college stamp was issued in the 1960s and the 1970s to prepay local delivery of mail by the college porters. It was short-lived and only a few stamps exist. One on cover is known and is detailed in the ''Great Britain Philatelic Society Journal''.
Notable members
Politics
Magdalen College has taught members of several royal families. These include
King Edward VIII, who attended while
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...
from 1912 to 1914, after which he left without graduating;
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the king of
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...
, who read for an MPhil in politics in 2000; and
Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, first in line to the throne of
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
, who enrolled in the Foreign Service Programme (now known as the Diplomatic Studies Programme) in 1995 under an assumed name.
Among the political figures taught at Magdalen was Cardinal
Thomas Wolsey, who studied theology. He graduated at 15, uncommonly early even for the time, but remained in Oxford for further study and eventually became a Fellow of Magdalen.
Wolsey rose from humble origins to become
Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...
and the
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
, obtaining great political power and becoming adviser to
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
. Wolsey left a lasting legacy in Oxford by founding Cardinal College, which Henry VIII would complete and refound as
Christ Church after Wolsey's fall from power.
['Christ Church', in A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3, the University of Oxford, ed. H E Salter and Mary D Lobel (London, 1954), pp. 228–238. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol3/pp228-238 ccessed 16 February 2020]
More recent Magdalen alumni to become politicians include
Malcolm Fraser, former
Prime Minister of Australia, and
John Turner, former
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
.
Many
members of the UK Parliament have been alumni of Magdalen. In the current
House of Commons sit alumni
Jeremy Hunt MP and
John Redwood
Sir John Alan Redwood (born 15 June 1951) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wokingham in Berkshire since 1987. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Secretary of State for Wales in the Major govern ...
MP. In the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
sit alumni
William Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond, former
Leader of the Conservative Party;
David Lipsey, Baron Lipsey
David Lawrence Lipsey, Baron Lipsey (born 21 April 1948) is a British journalist and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician.
After attending Bryanston School, Dorset (1962–67), Lipsey won an Exhibition in Politics, Philosophy and Econom ...
;
Dido Harding, Baroness Harding of Winscombe;
John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness;
Michael Jay, Baron Jay of Ewelme;
Matt Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley; and
Stewart Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield
Stewart Martin Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield (born 25 March 1968) is a Labour life peer in the House of Lords.
Early life
Wood grew up in Tonbridge, Kent, and attended the Judd School. In 1986 he went to University College, Oxford, where he obtai ...
, former Tutorial Fellow.
The political success of Magdalen alumni was notable in 2010, when 5 out of the 22 ministers in the cabinet had attended Magdalen.
Arts
Literature
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richar ...
, for whom Addison's walk is named, was a Fellow of Magdalen during the 17th century. He is known for his play ''
Cato, a Tragedy
''Cato, a Tragedy'' is a play written by Joseph Addison in 1712 and first performed on 14 April 1713. It is based on the events of the last days of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis (better known as Cato the Younger) (95–46 BC), a Stoic whose deeds ...
'' based on the life of
Cato the Younger at the end of the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...
. Popular with the American
Founding Fathers, the play may have served as a literary inspiration for the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
.
[ ]
The 19th-century poet, playwright, and
aesthete Oscar Wilde read
Greats at Magdalen from 1874 to 1878. During this time, he won the university's
Newdigate Prize and graduated with a
double first.
After his time at Magdalen, he became famous for his works including the novel ''
The Picture of Dorian Gray'' and the play ''
The Importance of Being Earnest''.
Wilde began an affair in 1891 with
Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carried a homo ...
, who was then himself a student at Magdalen. The disapproval of Douglas's father over Wilde's relationship with his son led to Wilde's prosecution and conviction in 1895 for
"gross indecency", that is to say, homosexual behaviour, and a sentence to two years' hard labour.
Wilde described "the two great turning-points in my life were when my father sent me to Oxford, and when society sent me to prison".
After his release from prison, Wilde moved to France and spent the last three years of his life in poverty. He was posthumously pardoned in 2017 under
Turing's Law
The "Alan Turing law" is an informal term for the law in the United Kingdom, contained in the Policing and Crime Act 2017, which serves as an amnesty law to pardon men who were cautioned or convicted under historical legislation that outla ...
.
The prolific author Sir
Compton Mackenzie OBE, who wrote over one hundred novels, plays, and biographies, read modern history at Magdalen.
He is known for his fiction, including ''
Sinister Street
''Sinister Street'' is a 1913–1914 novel by Compton Mackenzie. It is a kind of ''Bildungsroman'' or novel about growing up, and concerns two children, Michael Fane and his sister Stella. Both of them are born out of wedlock, something which ...
''—which features
St. Mary's College, Oxford as a stand-in for Magdalen—and ''
Monarch of the Glen''. Compton Mackenzie co-founded the
Scottish National Party and was knighted in 1952.
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...
, writer and alumnus of
University College, was a Fellow and English tutor at Magdalen for 29 years, from 1925 to 1954. Lewis was one of the
Inklings, an informal writing society that also included
J. R. R. Tolkien and would meet in Lewis's rooms at Magdalen. Under Lewis's tutelage was the future
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...
Sir
John Betjeman. Though Betjeman failed the maths portion of the entrance exams, he was offered a place to read English on the strength of his poetry, which had impressed the President of Magdalen and former
Professor of Poetry
The Professor of Poetry is an academic appointment at the University of Oxford. The chair was created in 1708 by an endowment from the estate of Henry Birkhead. The professorship carries an obligation to lecture, but is in effect a part-time p ...
Sir
Thomas Herbert Warren
Sir Thomas Herbert Warren, Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, KCVO (21 October 1853 – 9 June 1930) was a British academic and academic administrator, administrator who was List of Presidents of Magdalen College, Oxford, president o ...
. Lewis and Betjeman had a difficult relationship and Betjeman struggled academically. Betjeman left having failed to obtain a degree in 1928, but was made a
doctor of letters by the university in 1974.
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. , who received the
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995, was a Fellow of Magdalen from 1989 to 1994.
Theatre
The director
Peter Brook CBE is both an alumnus and honorary Fellow of Magdalen. He was described in 2008 as "our greatest living theatre director".
Fellow director
Katie Mitchell
Katrina Jane Mitchell (born 23 September 1964) is an English theatre director.
Life and career
Mitchell was born in Reading, Berkshire, raised in Hermitage, Berkshire, and educated at Oakham School. Upon leaving Oakham, she went up to Ma ...
OBE read English at Magdalen, and is known for her collaborations with
Martin Crimp. In 2017, she received the
President's Medal of the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars s ...
for her work in contemporary theatre and opera, and she has been described as British theatre's "king in exile".
Music
In 1957, the
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...
and composer
Bernard Rose OBE was appointed Magdalen's Informator Choristarum, choir master.
Among his students were
Harry Christophers
Richard Henry Tudor "Harry" Christophers CBE FRSCM (born 26 December 1953) is an English conductor.
Life and career
Richard Henry Tudor Christophers was born in Goudhurst, Kent. He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under choirmaster Al ...
CBE, a composer and an artistic director for the
Handel and Haydn Society who was an
academical clerk and later honorary Fellow at Magdalen;
and
Dudley Moore CBE, comedic actor and jazz musician, who studied at Magdalen on an
organ scholarship.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber, composer of
musicals including ''
Evita'' and ''
The Phantom of the Opera'', studied history at Magdalen for a term in 1965, before dropping out to pursue music at the
Royal Academy of Music. Andrew Lloyd Webber has received a number of awards for his work, including a lifetime achievement
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...
.
Humanities
Hormuzd Rassam, the native
Assyriologist
Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , ''-logia'') is the archaeological, anthropological, and linguistic study of Assyria and the rest of ancient Mesopotamia (a region that encompassed what is now modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, sout ...
, studied at Magdalen for 18 months between accompanying archaeologist Sir
Austen Henry Layard
Sir Austen Henry Layard (; 5 March 18175 July 1894) was an English Assyriologist, traveller, cuneiformist, art historian, draughtsman, collector, politician and diplomat. He was born to a mostly English family in Paris and largely raised in It ...
on his first and second expeditions. When Layard retired from archaeology, the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
appointed Rassam to continue on his own. Rassam made several important discoveries: in 1853 at
Nineveh
Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ba ...
, Rassam discovered the clay tablets that contained the ''
Epic of Gilgamesh
The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, and is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with ...
''; in 1879 he discovered the
Cyrus Cylinder
The Cyrus Cylinder is an ancient clay cylinder, now broken into several pieces, on which is written a declaration in Akkadian cuneiform script in the name of Persia's Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great. Kuhrt (2007), p. 70, 72 It dates from the 6th ...
in the ruins of
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
; and in 1880–1881 he uncovered the city of
Sippar. He was the first Middle Eastern archaeologist, but his contributions were dismissed by some of his contemporaries and by the end of his life, his name had been removed from plaques and visitor guides at the British Museum. Layard would describe him as "one whose services have never been acknowledged".
The economist
A. Michael Spence attended Magdalen on a Rhodes Scholarship, and graduated with a BA in mathematics in 1968. In 2001, he shared the
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel ( sv, Sveriges riksbanks pris i ekonomisk vetenskap till Alfred Nobels minne), is an economics award administered ...
for his work on "analyses of markets with
asymmetric information". He is an honorary fellow at Magdalen.
Novelist and Spanish anti-fascist
Ralph Winston Fox
Ralph Winston Fox (30 March 1900 – 28 December 1936) was a British revolutionary, journalist, novelist, and historian, best remembered as a biographer of Lenin and Genghis Khan. Fox was one of the best-known members of the Communist Party o ...
studied modern languages at Magdalen College, where he graduated from in 1922 with a first class honours. Clive was most well known for being the biographer of both
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; ; xng, Temüjin, script=Latn; ., name=Temujin – August 25, 1227) was the founder and first Great Khan (Emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in history a ...
and
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
, and for being killed while fighting against Hitler backed fascists during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
.
Philosopher
A. C. Grayling
Anthony Clifford Grayling (; born 3 April 1949) is a British philosopher and author. He was born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and spent most of his childhood there and in Nyasaland (now Malawi). In 2011 he founded and became the first M ...
CBE read for his DPhil at Magdalen, completing his studies in 1981. In 2011, he founded the
New College of the Humanities.
An
analytic philosopher, Grayling is known for his criticism of religion, including in his 2013 book ''
The God Argument
''The God Argument: The Case against Religion and for Humanism'' is a 2013 book by the English people, English philosopher and Humanism, humanist, A. C. Grayling, in which he counters the arguments for the existence of God, and puts forward humani ...
'', and his arguments for voting reform, as in his 2017 book ''Democracy and Its Crises''.
Niall Ferguson, a well-known historian, also studied at Magdalen.
Sciences
Magdalen counts among its alumni several recipients of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accordi ...
. Sir
Howard Florey was an Australian pharmacologist who studied at Magdalen on a
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
, graduating in 1924. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 for the development of
penicillin
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from '' Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum usin ...
.
Sir
Peter Medawar CBE read for a BA in zoology at Magdalen, receiving a first, and later for a DPhil, supervised by Florey. His research into tissue grafting and immune rejection led to the discover of
acquired immune tolerance and became the basis of organ transplantation. For this work, he shared the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Like Florey before him, Australian neurophysiologist Sir
John Eccles also came to Magdalen on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he read for his
DPhil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
. He was taught by an earlier neurophysiologist who received the Nobel in 1932, Sir
Charles Scott Sherrington
Sir Charles Scott Sherrington (27 November 1857 – 4 March 1952) was an eminent English neurophysiologist. His experimental research established many aspects of contemporary neuroscience, including the concept of the spinal reflex as a system ...
, who held the
Waynflete Professorship in Physiology at Magdalen. In 1963 Eccles received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research into
synapses. Eccles was also known for his contributions to philosophy, writing on the
mind-body problem and becoming an honorary member of the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
.
Sir
Peter J. Ratcliffe
Sir Peter John Ratcliffe, FRS, FMedSci (born 14 May 1954) is a British Nobel Laureate physician-scientist who is trained as a nephrologist. He was a practising clinician at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and Nuffield Professor of Clinical ...
held the
Nuffield Professorship of Clinical Medicine between 2003 and 2006, and is still a supernumerary fellow at Magdalen. He shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the oxygen sensing of cells. Other former Nuffield Professors of Clinical Medicine include Sir
David Weatherall
Sir David John Weatherall, (9 March 1933 – 8 December 2018) was a British physician and researcher in molecular genetics, haematology, pathology and clinical medicine.
Early life and education
David Weatherall was born in Liverpool.Geoff Wa ...
, who founded the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in 1989,
and Sir
John Bell GBE, who is also an alumnus of the college. The current holder of the chair is Richard Cornall, who was appointed in 2019.
Two Fellows of Magdalen have been awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
:
Erwin Schrödinger in 1933, while he was a Fellow;
and
Anthony James Leggett KBE in 2003, who had been a Fellow from 1963 to 1967.
Due to Magdalen's close relationship with Oxford's Botanic Garden and as the home of the
Sherardian Chair of Botany, Magdalen has been associated with many accomplished botanists. Historic Sherardian Professors include
John Sibthorp, in whose name the
Sibthorpian Professorship of Rural Economy, later known as the Sibthorpian Professorship of Plant Sciences, was founded; and
Charles Daubeny
Charles Giles Bridle Daubeny (11 February 179512 December 1867) was an English chemist, botanist and geologist.
Education
Daubeny was born at Stratton near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, the son of the Rev. James Daubeny. He went to Winchester ...
, who also held the
Aldrichian Chair of Chemistry and founded the Daubeny laboratory.
The Sherardian Chair has been held since 2009 by
Liam Dolan, who studies the emergence of land plants.
Likewise, many distinguished scientists have held Waynflete Professorships at Magdalen. These include the mathematician
J. H. C. Whitehead
John Henry Constantine Whitehead FRS (11 November 1904 – 8 May 1960), known as Henry, was a British mathematician and was one of the founders of homotopy theory. He was born in Chennai (then known as Madras), in India, and died in Princeton, ...
, who held the Waynflete Professorship of Pure Mathematics between 1947 and 1960. During this time, he was also the president of the
London Mathematical Society, which established the
Whitehead and
Senior Whitehead prizes in his honour. He is remembered for his fundamental contributions to topology.
The chair was held from 1984 until he retired in 2006 by
Daniel Quillen, who received the
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place every four years. The name of the award h ...
for his work in
algebraic K-theory.
It is currently held by
Ben Green.
Gallery
File:Magdalen College - statues in the cloister.jpg, Two of the Cloister's hieroglyphics, the lion and the pelican, in front of the Senior Common Room.
File:Magdalen College cloister.jpg, Panorama across the Cloister. On the left is the Founder's Tower.
File:Magdalen College, view from the cloister.jpg, View of Founder's Tower from the Cloister.
File:Magdalen College, Oxford-15320233952.jpg, View of Founder's Tower from St. John's Quad.
File:Magdalen College, Oxford.jpg, The Cloister
File:Oxford - panoramio (38).jpg, View of the Great Tower from the Daubeny Laboratory, across the High.
File:Magdalen Cloisters and New Buildings.jpg, Position of the New Building and lawns behind the Cloister
File:Oxford magdalen college lodgings.jpg, View of the Cloister and Great Tower from the New Building
File:Magdalen_College,_view_of_cloisters_from_Addison's_Walk,_Oct_2016.jpg, The Great Tower and cloister, viewed from Addison's Walk
File:Oxford magdalen college cour.jpg, St. John's Quad, showing (left to right) the gate to St. Swithun's quad, the Grammar Hall, and the President's Lodgings.
File:UK-2014-Oxford-Magdalen College 02.jpg, Gateway to St. Swithun's Quad (St. Swithun's Tower).
File:Magdalen College Oxford Old Grammar Hall.jpg, The old Grammar Hall
File:UK-2014-Oxford-Magdalen College 01.jpg, The President's Lodgings and Pride of India tree.
File:Magdalen College Muniment Tower.JPG, Muniment Tower.
File:Magdalen College - view on the tower and the chapel.jpg, St. John's Quad, showing (left to right) the President's Lodgings, Founder's Tower, Muniment Tower, the chapel, and the Great Tower behind.
File:Ancient Door, Magdalen College, Oxford by Henry Fox Talbot.jpg, ''Ancient Door, Magdalen College, Oxford'' by Henry Fox Talbot, circa 1843, showing the western door to the chapel beneath the window depicting the Last Judgment.
File:Oxford magdalen college chapelle int.JPG, Interior of the chapel.
File:Arthur Foxton Ferguson - Academic Clerkship Magdalen College Oxford ca. 1898 (fourth from left in back row).jpg, The choir of Magdalen College ca. 1898
File:Oxford MagdalenCollege Gate&Ranges.jpg, Gate between the High and St. John's Quad. The Porter's Lodge is on the right.
File:Longwall Street, Oxford, looking south.jpg, Boundary wall along Longwall Street.
File:Magdalen college oxford waynflete building.jpg, The Waynflete Building, on the east side of Magdalen Bridge.
File:Y sculpture.jpg, ''Y'' by Mark Wallinger in Bat Willow Meadow
File:Y, Mark Wallinger (2008).jpg, ''Y'' by Mark Wallinger.
References
External links
Official siteVirtual Tour of Magdalen CollegeWebsite of Magdalen College ChoirWebsite of Magdalen Middle Common Room
{{Authority control
1458 establishments in England
Educational institutions established in the 15th century
Colleges of the University of Oxford
Grade I listed buildings in Oxford
Grade I listed educational buildings
Organisations based in Oxford with royal patronage
Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford
Mary Magdalene