Magdalen College, Oxford

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Template:Oxford College Infobox </div> Magdalen College (pronounced Template:IPA) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is also one of the wealthiest, with, in 2003, an estimated financial endowment of £116 million.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, Magdalen is also one of the most visited. It stands next to the River Cherwell and has within its grounds a deer park and Addison's Walk. Magdalen College School also lies nearby. The large, square Magdalen Tower is a famous Oxford landmark, and it is a tradition that the college choir sings from the top of it early on May Morning. The college's current president, Professor David Clary FRS, was earlier a Fellow and Senior Tutor at Magdalene College, Cambridge.

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Grounds

The college has large grounds, close to the city centre. They stretch north and east from the college, and are most of the area bounded by Longwall Street, the High Street, and St Clements.

Image:Magdalen Deer.jpg

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The Grove (Deer Park)

This large meadow occupies most of the north west of the college's grounds, from the New Buildings and the Grove Quad up to Hollywell Ford. During the winter and spring, it is the home of a herd of deer. It is possible to view the meadow (and also the deer) from the path between New Buildings and Grove Quad, and also from the archway in New Buildings.

In the 16th century, long before the introduction of the deer, the grove consisted of gardens, orchards, and bowling greens. During the civil war, it was used to house a regiment of soldiers.

Image:Addison's Walk, Winter 2002 (2).jpg Image:Magdalen Addison's Walk.jpg

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The Meadow (bounded by Addison's Walk)

This triangular meadow lies to the east of the college, bounded on all sides by the River Cherwell. In the spring, it is filled with the flower Fritillaria Meleagris (commonly known as Snakeshead Fritillary), which gives it an attractive green-purple colour. 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 are moved in for the Summer and Autumn. 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. It is a beautiful and tranquil walk, favoured by students, dons ,and visitors alike. It also links the college with Hollywell Ford, and the Fellows' Garden.

Image:Magdalen Fellows' Garden.jpg

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The Fellows' Garden

Located to the north east of the Meadow, this long and (fairly) narrow garden follows the Cherwell to the edge of the University Parks. In spring, the ground is covered with flowers. In summer, there are some flowers, many different shrubs, and the varied trees provide dappled cover from the sun. It is linked to Addison's Walk by a bridge.

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History

Magdalen College was founded as Magdalen Hall in 1448 by William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester. It became Magdalen College in 1458. The founder's statutes included provision for a choral foundation of men and boys and this tradition has continued to the present day.

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Buildings

The Great Tower was built between 1492 and 1509, and is an imposing landmark on the easter approaches to the city centre. The hall and chapel were built at similar times, though both have undergone some changes in the interveining years.

Image:Magdalen Cloisters and New Buildings.jpg The Cloister was built in the fifteenth century, and has been altered several times since then. In 1822, the north side was in bad shape, and was knocked down while most of the fellows were away from college (only a small group of fellows were in favour of demolishing it). It was rebuilt shortly afterwards. In the early 1900s, renovations were performed, and it was returned to a more mediaeval character. Student rooms were installed in the (very large) roof space in the 1980s, and remain some of the most saughtafter rooms in the college. The New Building was built in 1733.

Image:Magdalen St Swithun's.jpg The college has a number of other quads. St John's Quad is the first as you enter the college, and includes the Outdoor Pullpit. There is Chaplin's Quad, which 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 century, and make up the south west corner of the college. The Grove Buildings are the newest (built in the 1990s), and are built in a traditional style.

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Choir

In 2005 the choir was nominated for a prestigious Grammy Award for its CD, With a Merrie Noyse, of music by Orlando Gibbons.

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Famous alumni

(P. G. Wodehouse attributes a Magdalen undergraduateship to his fictional literary character Bertie Wooster; Tibby, in E.M.Forster's Howard's End, is an undergraduate there as well.)

See also Former students of Magdalen College, Oxford.
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Teachers/academics

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Alumni who are current Members of Parliament


Colleges of the University of Oxford

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All Souls | Balliol | Brasenose | Christ Church | Corpus Christi | Exeter | Green | Harris Manchester | Hertford | Jesus | Keble | Kellogg | Lady Margaret Hall | Linacre | Lincoln | Magdalen | Mansfield | Merton | New College | Nuffield | Oriel | Pembroke | Queen's | St Anne's | St Antony's | St Catherine's | St Cross | St Edmund Hall | St Hilda's | St Hugh's | St John's | St Peter's | Somerville | Templeton | Trinity | University | Wadham | Wolfson | Worcester

Permanent Private Halls at the University of Oxford

Blackfriars | Campion Hall | Greyfriars | Regent's Park College | St Benet's Hall | St Stephen's House | Wycliffe Hall

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