England Guide
Oxfordshire, the Chilterns and the Cotswolds
Magdalen College
Opening time: Late June to Sept daily noon–6pm, Oct to late June daily 1–6pm or dusk
Price: £3
Address: High Street
Telephone: 01865/276 000
Website: www.magd.ox.ac.uk
The gaggle of stone buildings comprising Magdalen College (pronounced "Maudlin") is overshadowed by its chunky medieval bell tower. The Chapel has a handsome reredos, though you have to admire it through the windows of an ungainly stone screen. The adjacent cloisters are adorned by standing figures, some biblical and others folkloric, most notably a tribe of grotesques. Magdalen also boasts better grounds than most other colleges, with a bridge – at the back of the cloisters – spanning the River Cherwell to join Addison's Walk. Magdalen's alumni include Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis, John Betjeman, Julian Barnes and A.J.P. Taylor.