| Magdalen College | |
|---|---|
| University of Oxford | |
 The Cloister and Founders’ Tower | |
 Arms:Lozengy ermine and sable, on a chief of the second three lilies argent slipped and seeded or | |
| Scarf colours: black, with two equally-spaced wide bands of white | |
| Location | Longwall Street andHigh Street |
| Coordinates | 51°45′09″N1°14′49″W / 51.752374°N 1.247077°W /51.752374; -1.247077 |
| Full name | The College of St Mary Magdalen in the University of Oxford |
| Latin name | Collegium Beatae Mariae Magdalenae |
| Motto | Floreat Magdalena |
| Established | 1458; 567 years ago (1458) |
| Named for | Mary Magdalene |
| Sister college | Magdalene College, Cambridge |
| President | Dinah Rose[1] |
| Undergraduates | 390[2](2018) |
| Postgraduates | 178[2](2018) |
| Endowment | £710.8 million(2022)[3] |
| Website | www |
| Boat club | Magdalen College Boat Club |
| Map | |
  Location in Oxford city centre | |
Magdalen College (/ˈmɔːdlɪn/MAWD-lin)[4] is aconstituent college of theUniversity of Oxford.[5] It was founded in 1458 byBishop of WinchesterWilliam of Waynflete.[6] It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022,[3] and one of the strongest academically, setting the record for the highestNorrington Score in 2010 and topping the table twice since then.[7] It is home to several of the university's distinguishedchairs, including theAgnelli-Serena Professorship, theSherardian Professorship, and the fourWaynflete Professorships.
The large, squareMagdalen Tower is anOxford landmark, and it is a tradition, dating to the days ofHenry VII, that the college choir sings from the top of it at 6 a.m. onMay Morning.[8] The college stands next to theRiver Cherwell and theUniversity of Oxford Botanic Garden. Within its grounds are a deer park andAddison's Walk.
Magdalen College was founded in 1458 byWilliam of Waynflete,Bishop of Winchester andLord Chancellor of England[6] and named afterSt Mary Magdalene. The college succeeded auniversity hall called Magdalen Hall, founded by Waynflete in 1448, and from which the college drew most of its earliest scholars.[9] 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 becameHertford College.[10][11] Waynflete also established a school, nowMagdalen College School, aprivate school located nearby on the other side of the Cherwell. Waynflete was assisted by a large bequest from SirJohn Fastolf, who wished to fund a religious college.[12]
Magdalen College took over the site of St John the Baptist Hospital, alongside theCherwell, initially using the hospital's buildings until new construction was completed between 1470 and 1480.[13] 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, 30demies, four chaplain priests, eight clerks, 16 choristers, and appointed to the Grammar School, a Master and an usher.[9]
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 adjectivemaudlin because the late medieval English name of Mary Magdalene was Maudelen, derived from the Old French Madelaine.[14]
Oxford and Magdalen College were supporters of theRoyalist cause during theEnglish Civil War. In 1642, Magdalen College donated over 296lbs of plate (ie. silver or gold utensils or dishes) to fund the war effort – the largest donation by weight of any Oxford college.[15]
Magdalen College, commanding a position on the banks of the Cherwell that overlookedMagdalen 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, andPrince Rupert is thought to have quartered in the college.[16][9]
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.[16] Further fortifications and earthworks were built to protect the Holywell Ford site to the north.[17]During the firstSiege of Oxford,Charles I surveyed the battle fromMagdalen Tower.[18]
Following the capitulation of Oxford toThomas 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 MagdalenJohn 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 thedemies (scholars), and all but one of the servants were also expelled. With the Royalists finally removed, the college would host Fairfax andOliver Cromwell in 1649.[9]
After theRestoration of the monarchy in 1660 John Oliver was reappointed to the college, followed by 17 fellows and eight demies.[9]
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During the 1680s,King James II made several moves to reintroduceCatholicism into the thenAnglican university.[19] In 1687, he attempted to installAnthony Farmer aspresident of Magdalen. Thefellows 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.[19][9] The fellows elected instead one of their own,John Hough. James eventually offered a compromise candidate in the form of the moderateBishop of Oxford, Samuel Parker,[19] but he too was rejected by the fellows as they considered the role filled.[20][21]
Parker was admitted by force[9] 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 byBonaventure Giffard, a Catholic under whose tenure the Chapel converted to Catholicism.[19]
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."[19] James' interference with the college fed resentment in Anglicans who used it as evidence that his rule was autocratic.[19][21] On 25 October 1688, shortly before theGlorious Revolution and overthrow of James II byWilliam of Orange, James' appointments were reversed and Hough and the expelled fellows were restored to the college.[19][21] This event is marked every year at a special banquet, the Restoration Dinner, for Magdalen fellows, demies, and academic clerks.[21]
Magdalen's prominence since the mid-20th century owes much to such famous fellows asC. S. Lewis andA. J. P. Taylor, and its academic success to the work of such dons asThomas Dewar Weldon.[22] DuringWorld War II,RAF Maintenance Command was headquartered at Magdalen.[23]
Magdalen College owns and manages theOxford 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,[24][25] before selling 40% of its stake in 2021 for £160 million.[26] 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".[27]
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.[6] Between 2015 and 2017, 47.2% of UK undergraduates admitted to Magdalen were from state schools; 12.2% were ofBME ("black and ethnic minority") heritage and 0.7% were black.[28] 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.[29]
The college grounds stretch north and east from the college, and include most of the area bounded byLongwall Street, theHigh Street (where theporter's lodge is located), andSt 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".[30]
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 GothicFounders 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 theGreat 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.[31]
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.[13] Some of the hospital buildings were reused by the college, and the kitchens survive today as the college bar, the Old Kitchen Bar.[9][32]
New construction began in 1470 with the erection of a wall around the site by masonWilliam Orchard. Following this, Orchard also worked on the chapel, hall, and the cloister, including the Muniment andFounder's Towers, with work completed around 1480.[9]
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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 theFounder'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.[33][34] 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 (themanticore, boxers, andlamia in front of the Junior Common Room, representing pride, contention, and lust).[34] In 2017, repair work was undertaken to restore the severely damaged boxers statue.[35]
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.[30][9]
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.[citation needed]
The chapel is aplace of worship for members of the college and others in the University of Oxford community and beyond. As aHigh Anglican chapel, its tradition is influenced by theCounter-Reformation in theChurch of England. Said and sung services are held daily during term.[36] The choir sings ChoralEvensong or Evening Prayer every day at 6:00 pm except on Mondays.[36] 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 ofBenediction twice per term.[36] Mass is also sung on major holy days.[36][37]
The chapel itself is a grade Ilisted building. It was built between 1474 and 1480,[38] although it owes its present appearance largely toneo-Gothic works carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The roof, giving the impression of a stone vaulted ceiling, is in fact a facsimile made fromplaster added in 1790 byneo-Gothic architectJames 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.[38][30][39]
After 1662, a painting (or possibly amural) of theLast Judgement byIsaac Fuller was placed at the east end. This piece of work was taken down during architectLewis Cottingham's work in the early 1830s, and fragments of the originalreredos were discovered behind it. These showed that the original reredos had had three tiers of niches, each tier containing thirteen niches. Cottingham replaced Isaac Fuller's painting at the east end with the current reredos, the layout of which was based on those remains. This reredos remained void of figures until 1864/5, when it was completed byneo-Gothic sculptorThomas Earp.[40]
Thestained glass windows facing St John's Quad feature agrisaille depiction of theLast Judgement. These windows, dating from 1792, are a reconstruction by glass painterFrancis Eginton of an earlier 17th-century window that was destroyed in a storm.[41] It had been uninstalled duringWorld War II 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.[41]
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.[9]
The tower contains a peal of ten bells hung forEnglish change ringing. They were cast at a number of differentfoundries and the heaviest, weighing 17cwt, was cast in 1623.[42]
The tower is 144 feet tall and an imposing landmark on the eastern approaches to the city centre.[31] It has been the model for other towers, including Mitchell Tower of theUniversity of Chicago,[43]Manhattan'sFirst Presbyterian Church,[44] and All Saints' Church inChurchill, Oxfordshire.[45] It forms the centre of theMay Morning celebrations in Oxford, from which the choir sing pieces including theHymnus Eucharisticus and the Dean of Divinity blesses the University, city, and crowds.[8][46]
During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were numerous attempts made to redesign the site to better suit the college's needs.[30] The New Building began construction in 1733 as a part ofEdward Holdsworth's designs from 1731. It is built in aPalladian style, and features acolonnade.[30][31]
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 architectsJames Wyatt—whose plans (never realised) included partially demolishing the existing, Medieval quad (the Cloister) and refinishing the neoclassical New Building in aGeorgian Gothic style—andJohn Buckler.[30][39] In the 19th century,John Nash andHumphrey Repton both submitted designs for new, open quadrangles that incorporated the New Building.[30]
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 byThomas Harrison.[30] Today, it stands apart from the Cloister, overlooking fourcroquet lawns on one side and the Grove deer park on the other. It is used for accommodation for undergraduates and fellows, including historicallyEdward Gibbon andC. S. Lewis, and also houses the wine cellar.[47]
Opposite the main college site and overlooking theBotanic Garden is the 19th century Daubeny Laboratory.[31]
The Garden had been established between 1622 and 1633 as aphysic garden (that is, a garden to study the medicinal value of plants) on land inherited by Magdalen from St. John's Hospital.[48] The Daubeny Laboratory, and neighbouring Professor's House, were founded by thepolymath and Magdalen fellowCharles Daubeny after he was appointed to theSherardian Chair of Botany in 1834.[48]
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 Sherardherbarium. After Daubeny's death, this was assimilated to house the growing collection.[48][49] 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 theDepartment of Plant Sciences.[50]
Daubeny, who was also theAldrichian Professor of Chemistry, had found the chemistry laboratory in the basement of the oldAshmolean Museum, what is now theHistory 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.[48][51] The Daubeny Laboratory was preceded by the anatomy school and laboratory atChrist Church which opened in 1767, and would be followed later in the century by other college laboratories including theBalliol-Trinity Laboratories.[52] 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.[48] In 1973, most of the Daubeny Laboratory building was reconfigured into graduate student accommodation.[53] The Daubeny lab itself is now a conference space.
In 1880–1884, the college extended westwards onto the former site ofMagdalen Hall. The hall was an independentacademic hall that developed from Magdalen College School, not the earlier Magdalen Hall founded by William Waynflete.[10] Most of Magdalen Hall's buildings were destroyed by fire in 1820, though the Grammar Hall survived and was restored by Joseph Parkinson.[30] The hall moved to Catte Street in 1822 and was incorporated asHertford College in 1874.[10]
The new construction,St Swithun's quad[31] (sometimes given as St. Swithin's quad[30][54]), was designed byGeorge Frederick Bodley andThomas Garner 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.[30]
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 byBooth, Ledeboer, and Pinckheard and completed in 1964.[55] Magdalen has a number of additional annexes near to the main site for accommodation, including in Cowley Place andLongwall Street.
The Grove Buildings, located north of Longwall quad between Longwall Street and the Grove, were built in 1994–1999 byPorphyrios Associates. They are home to accommodation, Magdalen's 160-seat auditorium, and the Denning Law Library.[31][56][57] During term time, the auditorium hosts film screenings organised by the Magdalen Film Society.[58]
Along Addison's Walk is the Holywell Ford site, where most of the graduate accommodation is located. Holywell Ford house was built byClapton Crabb Rolfe in 1888 on the location of an older mill, and was acquired by Magdalen in the 1970s.[59][60] Additional blocks of accommodation were built in 1994-5 by RH Partnership Ltd.[31]
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.[57][61]
In 1931, the New Library, now called the Longwall Library, was established in the formerMagdalen College School building in Longwall Quad and became the college's main library for students. It was opened byEdward VIII when he was a student at Magdalen.[62] It was renovated between 2014 and 2016 byWright & Wright Architects and reopened byPrince William, Duke of Cambridge.[63][62]
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.[57]
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 offallow 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.[16]
During theCivil War, 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.[16]
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 toDutch elm disease in the 1970s.[citation needed]
The water meadow is aflood-meadow to the eastern side of the college, bounded on all sides by theCherwell. 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 fellowJoseph Addison (1672–1719), which connects to Holywell Ford and the Fellows' Garden.[64]
Addison's Walk is popular with College members and visitors.C. S. Lewis wrote a poem about the walk,Chanson d'Aventure orWhat the Bird Said Early in the Year, which is commemorated on a plaque near the gate to Holywell Ford.[64][65][66]
Thanks to the frequent flooding, the meadow is one of the few places in theUK that the snake's head fritillary,Fritillaria meleagris, may be seen growing wild.[67] These flowers grow in very few places, and have been recorded growing in the meadow since around 1785.[67] Once the flowering has finished, the deer herd is moved in for the summer and autumn.[citation needed]
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 featuresY, a 10 metre high sculpture of a branching tree byMark Wallinger, commissioned for the college's 550th anniversary in 2008.[68][69] Due to their age and infection withhoney fungus, thewillow trees were cut down in 2018 and replanted, and the wood used to makecricket bats.[70]
The Fellows' Garden is located further north along the bank of the Cherwell than Bat Willow meadow, directly behind theOxford Centre for Islamic Studies. This long and narrow garden follows the Cherwell to the edge of theUniversity Parks. Further north isMagdalen's sports ground.
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 beingNew College andChrist Church.[71][72][73] It performs during chapel services, collegegaudies and at other special events throughout the year. As part of Oxford's annualMay Morning in a tradition that dates back 500 years, at 6 a.m. on 1 May, the choir performHymnus Eucharisticus from the top of Magdalen's Tower to crowds below on Madgalen Bridge and the High Street.[46]
The choir consists of twelveacademical clerks, or choral scholars, and two organ scholars, who are all students at the college, and sixteen choristers, all of whom have scholarships atMagdalen College School, and is led by a director of music known as the Informator Choristarum, currentlyMark Williams.[74] Mark Williams succeededDaniel Hyde in 2017, following Hyde's appointment as Organist and Director of Music ofSaint Thomas Church, New York.[75] Among the other former directors of the choir areJohn Sheppard (1543–c.1552),John Varley Roberts, SirWilliam McKie,Haldane Campbell Stewart and the composerBill Ives (1991–2009).
Past academical clerks includeJohn Mark Ainsley,Harry Christophers (founder and director ofThe Sixteen),James Whitbourn,Peter Harvey,Robin Blaze,Paul Agnew,Roderick Williams and conductor/composerGregory Rose.[citation needed] The choir has had many well-known organists, such asDaniel Purcell, SirJohn Stainer (1860–1872) andBernard Rose (1957–1981). Past organ scholars includeDudley Moore andPaul Brough.
As well as performing during chapel services, the choir tours and records music. In 2005, the choir was nominated for aGrammy Award for itsCD,With a Merrie Noyse, of music byOrlando Gibbons.[76] Other recent works include the BBC'sThe Blue Planet and Paul McCartney's classical pieceEcce Cor Meum.[77]
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.[78][79]
Accommodation charges are inclusive of heating, power, and internet access, and weekly cleaning by the collegescouts (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.[78][79]
In addition to a dinner cafeteria service served in the hall, fourFormal Halls are held a week during term time. These are three-course sit-down dinners and require college members to wear theirgowns.[80] Additional banquets commemorate special occasions, including the Restoration Dinner.[21][81]
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.[82][81]
In addition to clubs and societies associated with theOxford University Student Union operated at the university level, Magdalen members may also participate in several college societies.[83] 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 lawyerJames Atkin, Baron Atkin, a former demy at Magdalen, and also organises annually a Christmas Dinner for its members,moot court presided over by a guest judge, and summer garden party.[84] The Sherrington Society is named after Nobel laureate SirCharles Scott Sherrington, former Waynflete Professor of Physiology.[85] The college also has a poetry discussion forum called the Florio Society, named for 16th century college alumnusJohn Florio.[86]
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.[83][58] The Magdalen College Music Society is a chapter of theOxford University Music Society and incorporates a non-auditioned mixed choir, achamber orchestra, and a saxophone ensemble. The society performs recitals in college on Thursdays during term time.[87]
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.[88][89]
In theNorrington Table's history Magdalen has been top three times, in 2010, 2012 and 2015.[90] When over half its finalists achieved firsts in 2010, it claimed the record for the highest ever Norrington Score.[91] Magdalen has the second highest average Norrington Table score from 2006 to 2019, only behind Merton College.
Magdalen College students have a successful record in theUniversity Challenge television competition, winning on four occasions (1997, 1998, 2004, and 2011).[92] 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.
Unlike at most other colleges, students awarded a scholarship at Magdalen are officially referred to asDemies.
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 afirst-class cricket match in 1912, when Oxford played the touringSouth Africans.[93] The match was heavily affected by rain and ended in a draw,[94] but did see Oxford'sJohn Evans make scores of 56 and 107, in addition to taking afive wicket haul in the South Africans first innings.[95] During theFirst World War, 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.[96]
In addition, the college buys gym membership at the Iffley Road sports complex on behalf of all its students. The college keeps a boathouse onThe Isis (the length of theThames as it passes through Oxford) for theMagdalen College Boat Club (MCBC).[82]
TheMagdalen College Boat Club (MCBC), arowing club, was founded in 1859. It participates in the two annual Oxfordbumps races,Eights Week andTorpids. 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).[97][98] As well as the MCBC, Magdalen College is represented by teams in football, hockey, rugby, netball, cricket, lacrosse, squash and pool, amongst others.[82]
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 theGreat Britain Philatelic Society Journal.[99]
Magdalen College has taught members of several royal families. These include kingEdward VIII, who attended whilePrince of Wales from 1912 to 1914, after which he left without graduating;[100]Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the king ofBhutan, who read for an MPhil in politics in 2000;[101] and crown princeAl-Muhtadee Billah, first in line to the throne ofBrunei, who enrolled in the Foreign Service Programme (now known as the Diplomatic Studies Programme) in 1995 under an assumed name.[102][103]
Among the political figures taught at Magdalen was cardinalThomas 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.[104] Wolsey rose from humble origins to becomelord chancellor and thearchbishop of York, obtaining great political power and becoming adviser to kingHenry VIII. Wolsey left a lasting legacy in Oxford by founding Cardinal College, which Henry VIII would complete and refound asChrist Church after Wolsey's fall from power.[105]
More recent Magdalen alumni to become politicians includeMalcolm Fraser, formerprime minister of Australia, andJohn Turner, formerprime minister of Canada.[106] Manymembers of the UK Parliament have been alumni of Magdalen. In the currentHouse of Commons sit alumniAlex Chalk,Jeremy Hunt andJohn Redwood.[107][108] In theHouse of Lords sit alumniWilliam Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond, formerleader of the Conservative Party;David Lipsey, Baron Lipsey;Dido Harding, Baroness Harding of Winscombe;John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness;Michael Jay, Baron Jay of Ewelme;Matt Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley; andStewart Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield, former tutorial fellow.[106]
The political success of Magdalen alumni was notable in 2010, when 5 out of the 22 ministers in the cabinet had attended Magdalen.[109]
Joseph Addison, for whom Addison's walk is named, was a Fellow of Magdalen during the 17th century. He is known for his playCato, a Tragedy based on the life ofCato the Younger at the end of theRoman Republic. Popular with the AmericanFounding Fathers, the play may have served as a literary inspiration for theAmerican Revolution.[110]
The 19th-century poet, playwright, andaestheteOscar Wilde readgreats at Magdalen from 1874 to 1878. During this time, he won the university'sNewdigate Prize and graduated with adouble first.[111][112] After his time at Magdalen, he became famous for his works including the novelThe Picture of Dorian Gray and the playThe Importance of Being Earnest.
Wilde began an affair in 1891 withAlfred Douglas, 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.[111][112] 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".[111] 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 underTuring's Law.[113]
The prolific authorCompton Mackenzie, who wrote over one hundred novels, plays, and biographies, read modern history at Magdalen.[114] He is known for his fiction, includingSinister Street—which featuresSt. Mary's College, Oxford as a stand-in for Magdalen[115][116]—andMonarch of the Glen. Compton Mackenzie co-founded theScottish National Party and was knighted in 1952.[114]
C. S. Lewis, writer and alumnus ofUniversity College, was a fellow and English tutor at Magdalen for 29 years, from 1925 to 1954. Lewis was one of theInklings, an informal writing society that also includedJ. R. R. Tolkien and would meet in Lewis's rooms at Magdalen.[117] Under Lewis's tutelage was the futurePoet LaureateJohn 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 formerProfessor of PoetryThomas Herbert Warren. Lewis and Betjeman had a difficult relationship and Betjeman struggled academically. Betjeman left having failed to obtain a degree in 1928, but was made adoctor of letters by the university in 1974.[118]
Seamus Heaney, who received theNobel Prize in Literature in 1995, was a fellow of Magdalen from 1989 to 1994.[119]
The directorPeter Brook is both an alumnus and honorary fellow of Magdalen. He was described in 2008 as "our greatest living theatre director".[120] Fellow directorKatie Mitchell read English at Magdalen, and is known for her collaborations withMartin Crimp. In 2017, she received thePresident's Medal of theBritish Academy for her work in contemporary theatre and opera, and she has been described as British theatre's "king in exile".[121][122]
In 1957, theorganist and composerBernard Rose was appointed Magdalen's Informator Choristarum, choir master.[123] Among his students wereHarry Christophers, a composer and an artistic director for theHandel and Haydn Society who was anacademical clerk and later honorary Fellow at Magdalen;[124] andDudley Moore, comedic actor and jazz musician, who studied at Magdalen on anorgan scholarship.[123][125]
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber, composer ofmusicals includingEvita andThe Phantom of the Opera, studied history at Magdalen for a term in 1965, before dropping out to pursue music at theRoyal College of Music.[126] Andrew Lloyd Webber has received a number of awards for his work, including a lifetime achievementTony Award.[127]
Hormuzd Rassam, the nativeAssyriologist, studied at Magdalen for 18 months between accompanying archaeologistAusten Henry Layard on his first and second expeditions. When Layard retired from archaeology, theBritish Museum appointed Rassam to continue on his own. Rassam made several important discoveries: in 1853 atNineveh, Rassam discovered the clay tablets that contained theEpic of Gilgamesh; in 1879 he discovered theCyrus Cylinder in the ruins ofBabylon; and in 1880–1881 he uncovered the city ofSippar. 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".[128]
The economistA. Michael Spence attended Magdalen on aRhodes Scholarship, and graduated with a BA in mathematics in 1968.[129] In 2001, he shared theNobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on "analyses of markets withasymmetric information".[130][131] He is an honorary fellow at Magdalen.[132]
Novelist and Spanish anti-fascistRalph Winston Fox studied modern languages at Magdalen College, where he graduated from in 1922 with a first class honours. Fox was best known for being the biographer of bothGenghis Khan andVladimir Lenin, and for being killed while fighting against Hitler backed fascists during theSpanish Civil War.[133]
PhilosopherA. C. Grayling read for his DPhil at Magdalen, completing his studies in 1981. In 2011, he founded theNew College of the Humanities.[134] Ananalytic philosopher, Grayling is known for his criticism of religion, including in his 2013 bookThe God Argument, and his arguments for voting reform, as in his 2017 bookDemocracy and Its Crises.
Niall Ferguson, a well-known historian, also studied at Magdalen.
Magdalen counts among its alumni several recipients of theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.Howard Florey was an Australian pharmacologist who studied at Magdalen on aRhodes Scholarship, graduating in 1924. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 for the development ofpenicillin.[135]Peter Medawar 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 ofacquired immune tolerance and became the basis of organ transplantation. For this work, he shared the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[136]
Like Florey before him, Australian neurophysiologistJohn Eccles also came to Magdalen on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he read for hisDPhil. He was taught by an earlier neurophysiologist who received the Nobel in 1932,Charles Scott Sherrington, who held theWaynflete Professorship in Physiology at Magdalen. In 1963 Eccles received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research intosynapses. Eccles was also known for his contributions to philosophy, writing on themind-body problem and becoming an honorary member of theAmerican Philosophical Society.[137]
Peter J. Ratcliffe held theNuffield Professorship of Clinical Medicine between 2003 and 2006, and is still a supernumerary fellow at Magdalen.[138] He shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the oxygen sensing of cells.[139] Other former Nuffield Professors of Clinical Medicine include SirDavid Weatherall, who founded the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in 1989,[140][141] and SirJohn Bell, who is also an alumnus of the college.[142] The current holder of the chair is Richard Cornall, who was appointed in 2019.[143]
Two Fellows of Magdalen have been awarded theNobel Prize in Physics:Erwin Schrödinger in 1933, while he was a fellow;[144] andAnthony James Leggett KBE in 2003, who had been a Fellow from 1963 to 1967.[145]
Due to Magdalen's close relationship with Oxford's Botanic Garden and as the home of theSherardian Chair of Botany, Magdalen has been associated with many accomplished botanists. Historic Sherardian Professors includeJohn Sibthorp, in whose name theSibthorpian Professorship of Rural Economy, later known as the Sibthorpian Professorship of Plant Sciences, was founded; andCharles Daubeny, who also held theAldrichian Chair of Chemistry and founded the Daubeny laboratory.[146][48] The Sherardian Chair has been held since 2022, by Lars Østergaard, who studies how molecular signalling mechanisms evolve to affect plant development.[147][148]
Likewise, many distinguished scientists have held Waynflete Professorships at Magdalen. These include the mathematicianJ. H. C. Whitehead, who held the Waynflete Professorship of Pure Mathematics between 1947 and 1960. During this time, he was also the president of theLondon Mathematical Society, which established theWhitehead andSenior Whitehead prizes in his honour. He is remembered for his fundamental contributions to topology.[149][150] The chair was held from 1984 until he retired in 2006 byDaniel Quillen, who received theFields Medal for his work inalgebraic K-theory.[151] It is currently held byBen Green.[152]
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