Magdalen College

  It was founded in 1458 and its name is still pronounced “Mawd-lin” by the locals as it was five hundred years ago. It’s famous for its gardens, its cloister, its deer and its water meadows…and for some of the people who studied here like C.S.Lewis, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Oscar Wilde as well as several Nobel Prizes. Probably it is the most beautiful college in town.

  Its Bell Tower, next to Magdalen Bridge, signals the entrance to the heart of Oxford. It’s a tradition that goes back to the days of Henry VII that the college choir sings a Latin anthem from the top of it at 6 a.m. on May Day, followed by dancing, champagne breakfast and other boisterous activities around the city.

  The college stands next to the river Cherwell and has within its grounds a deer park and Addison’s Walk, a circular path around the water meadows which is one of the most pleasant walks in Oxford. The visitor is sure to enjoy it whatever the season. At the end of it he can always sit on the terrace of the Old Kitchen Bar and watch people punting from under Magdalen Bridge.