Magdalen College, Oxford
| Magdalen College, Oxford | |
 | |
| College name | Magdalen College |
| Collegium Beatae Mariae Magdalenae | |
| Named after | Mary Magdalene |
| Established | 1458 |
| Sister College | Magdalene College |
| President | Professor David Clary FRS |
| JCR President | Iain Anstess |
| Undergraduates | 395 |
| MCR President | Kader Allouni |
| Graduates | 230 |
| Homepage | |
| Boatclub | |
</div>Magdalen College (pronounced [ˈmɔːdlɪn]) 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.
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 (a tradition that has continued to the present day) and made reference to how the name of the College should be pronounced.
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 (where the porter's lodge is located), and St Clement's.
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.
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.
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.
Buildings
The Great Tower was built between 1492 and 1509, and is an imposing landmark on the eastern approaches to the city centre. The hall and chapel were built at similar times, though both have undergone some changes in the intervening years.
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 sought after rooms in the college. The New Building was built in 1733.
The college has a number of other quads. St John's Quad is the first on entering the college, and includes the Outdoor Pulpit. There is Chaplain'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.
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 two choral foundations being New College and Christ Church.
The choir consists of twelve Clerks who are students at the College, and sixteen boys aged seven to fourteen, all of whom have scholarships at Magdalen College School. The school was originally founded for this express purpose but has long since become an independent public school.
The choristers' day begins at 7:30, with an early morning practice before school. There is further practice immediately after school, followed by Evensong five nights a week, in term. On Saturdays there is an afternoon practice, while on Sundays there is a practice at 09:30 followed by Eucharist, then a further afternoon practice followed by Evensong which ends at 7pm. Most of the boys thus have a longer working day, and a busier weekend, than their parents.
The Choir has numerous College duties as well as a recording and touring schedule. Traditionally the Choir sings at College Gaudies and at other special events throughout the year, as well as performing on social occasions such as Carols by Candlelight before Christmas and the famous May Morning. On this occasion the Choir sings madrigals at 6am from the top of the college bell-tower to the assembled mass of students and townsfolk celebrating in the streets below.
In its long history the choir has had many well known organists, such as Daniel Purcell, Sir John Stainer and Bernard Rose, while past Organ Scholars include Dudley Moore.
The choir records regularly and In 2005 was nominated for a prestigious Grammy Award for its CD, With a Merrie Noyse, of music by Orlando Gibbons. Other recent works include the BBC's Blue Planet and Paul McCartney's classical piece Ecce Cor Meum.
The current Informator Choristarum (the master and conductor of the choir) is the composer Bill Ives, a disc of whose music, Listen Sweet Dove, is amongst the choir's latest releases.
Notable old members
- John Mark Ainsley
- James Richard Atkin
- Kenneth Baker
- Julian Barnes
- John Betjeman
- Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah
- Hugh Boulter
- Ashley Bramall
- Stephen Breyer
- Peter Brook
- Wesley Clark
- Norman Davies
- Michael Denison
- Alfred Denning
- Lord Alfred Douglas
- Ronald Dworkin
- Fernanda Eberstadt
- John Carew Eccles
- Edward VIII
- Marc S. Ellenbogen
- Gareth Evans
- James Fenton
- Howard Walter Florey
- John Florio
- Malcolm Fraser
- J. Paul Getty
- Edward Gibbon
- Anthony Grayling
- William Hague
- Matthew Hale
- John Hemming
- Ian Hislop
- Alan Hollinghurst
- Albert Hourani
- Mick Imlah
- Brian Inglis
- Benedikt Isserlin
- Michael Jay
- Keith Joseph
- Michael Kinsley
- Nicholas D. Kristof
- Terrence Malick
- Peter Medawar
- Dudley Moore
- Desmond Morris
- Hormuzd Rassam
- John Redwood
- Robert Robinson
- Henry Sacheverell
- Duncan Sandys
- Erwin Schrödinger
- Charles Scott Sherrington
- John Sergeant
- Sion Simon
- David Souter
- Jon Stallworthy
- Andrew Sullivan
- Louis Theroux
- Prince Tomohito of Mikasa
- William Tyndale
- Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan
- Oscar Wilde
- Thomas Wolsey
- Lord Frederick Windsor
- Gideon Defoe
(P. G. Wodehouse attributes a Magdalen undergraduateship to his fictional literary character Bertie Wooster; Tibby, in E. M. Forster's Howard's End, is also a Magdalen undergraduate.)
Teachers/academics
- Joseph Addison
- Niall Ferguson
- E.H.H. Green
- Adam Fox
- John Fuller (poet)
- Robert Gunther
- Seamus Heaney
- George Horne
- C. S. Lewis
- K. B. McFarlane
- A.J.P. Taylor
- Oliver Taplin
- Felipe Fernández-Armesto
Old members who are current Members of Parliament
- Dominic Grieve
- William Hague
- John Hemming
- Chris Huhne
- Jeremy Hunt
- John Hutton
- Eddie O'Hara
- George Osborne
- John Redwood
- Sion Simon
External links
Categories
1458 establishments | Colleges of the University of Oxford | Magdalen College, Oxford | Organisations based in England with royal patronage