May Morning is an annual event in Oxford , United Kingdom , on May Day (1 May).
61-781: The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus , from the top of Magdalen Tower . The choir traditionally also sings a madrigal, Now Is the Month of Maying , following prayers for the city led by the Dean of Divinity. Large crowds of both students and Oxford residents normally gather under the tower, along the High Street , and on Magdalen Bridge . Students and fellows of Magdalen College gather in
122-472: A Georgian Gothic style—and John Buckler . In the 19th century, John Nash and Humphrey Repton both submitted designs for new, open quadrangles that incorporated the New Building. 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 by Thomas Harrison . Today, it stands apart from
183-527: A physic garden (that is, a garden to study the medicinal value of plants) on land inherited by Magdalen from St. John's Hospital. The Daubeny Laboratory, and neighbouring Professor's House, were founded by the polymath and Magdalen fellow Charles Daubeny after he was appointed to the Sherardian Chair of Botany in 1834. Daubeny set about a number of additions to the location, erecting new glasshouses and in 1836 creating an on-site residence for
244-430: 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 of Benediction twice per term. Mass is also sung on major holy days. The chapel itself is a grade I listed building . It was built between 1474 and 1480, although it owes its present appearance largely to neo-Gothic works carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries. The roof, giving
305-462: A Visitation to Oxford to purge Fellows for political and religious reasons. In 1647, the Visitors removed the then-president of Magdalen John 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
366-420: A compromise candidate in the form of the moderate Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Parker , but he too was rejected by the fellows as they considered the role filled. Parker was admitted by force 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 by Bonaventure Giffard , a Catholic under whose tenure
427-419: A deer park and Addison's Walk . Magdalen College was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete , Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor of England and named after St Mary Magdalene . The college succeeded a university hall called Magdalen Hall, founded by Waynflete in 1448, and from which the college drew most of its earliest scholars. Magdalen Hall was suppressed when the college was founded. The name
488-479: A fish pond. By 1630, a bowling green had replaced the orchard. May Morning May Morning is an annual event in Oxford , United Kingdom , on May Day (1 May). The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus , from the top of Magdalen Tower . The choir traditionally also sings a madrigal, Now Is the Month of Maying , following prayers for
549-484: 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. In 1973, most of the Daubeny Laboratory building was reconfigured into graduate student accommodation. The Daubeny lab itself is now a conference space. In 1880–1884, the college extended westwards onto
610-458: 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 architects James Wyatt —whose plans (never realised) included partially demolishing the existing, Medieval quad (the Cloister) and refinishing the neoclassical New Building in
671-466: Is a constituent college of the University of Oxford . It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete . It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, setting the record for the highest Norrington Score in 2010 and topping the table twice since then. It is home to several of the university's distinguished chairs , including
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#1732782872738732-595: Is located across Magdalen Bridge from the main college site, was designed by Booth, Ledeboer, and Pinckheard and completed in 1964. Magdalen has a number of additional annexes near to the main site for accommodation, including in Cowley Place and Longwall Street . The Grove Buildings, located north of Longwall quad between Longwall Street and the Grove, were built in 1994–1999 by Porphyrios Associates . They are home to accommodation, Magdalen's 160-seat auditorium, and
793-649: The Agnelli-Serena Professorship , the Sherardian Professorship , and the four Waynflete Professorships . The large, square Magdalen Tower is an Oxford landmark, and it is a tradition, dating to the days of Henry VII , that the college choir sings from the top of it at 6 a.m. on May Morning . The college stands next to the River Cherwell and the University of Oxford Botanic Garden . Within its grounds are
854-597: The Glorious Revolution and overthrow of James II by William of Orange , James' appointments were reversed and Hough and the expelled fellows were restored to the college. This event is marked every year at a special banquet, the Restoration Dinner, for Magdalen fellows, demies, and academic clerks. Magdalen's prominence since the mid-20th century owes much to such famous fellows as C. S. Lewis and A. J. P. Taylor , and its academic success to
915-482: The Hymnus Eucharisticus and the Dean of Divinity blesses the University, city, and crowds. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there were numerous attempts made to redesign the site to better suit the college's needs. The New Building began construction in 1733 as a part of Edward Holdsworth 's designs from 1731. It is built in a Palladian style , and features a colonnade . It was conceived as one side of
976-466: The Last Judgement by Isaac Fuller was placed at the east end. This piece of work was taken down during architect Lewis Cottingham 's work in the early 1830s, and fragments of the original reredos 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
1037-540: The University Church and the Radcliffe Camera , impromptu music, etc., for a couple of hours from around 6.15am onwards. There is a party atmosphere, despite the early hour. In fact, in some years there are all-night balls the night before, so some people, especially students, are in formal attire. There is a modern tradition of students jumping from Magdalen Bridge. This occurred sporadically in
1098-408: The 1960s, becoming an annual event by the 1980s. However the river is sometimes shallow, which has on occasion caused serious injury, notably in 1997 when one person was left paralyzed, and 2005 when ten were hospitalised. Hence the bridge was closed every May Morning 1998–2001 and 2006–2009. In the 19th century, the young townsmen blew horns and ran riot, after the singing. Activities have varied over
1159-454: The 1993 May Morning celebrations. During the COVID-19 lockdowns , May Morning was hosted online in 2020 and 2021. After two years of lockdown, May Morning began once more in earnest in 2022. Approximately 12,500 people crowded the streets to welcome the return of the festivities. Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( / ˈ m ɔː d l ɪ n / MAWD -lin )
1220-481: The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic the event was cancelled, however the choir recorded a 'Virtual May Morning', originally broadcast live. This is then followed by general revelry and festivities including Morris dancing in Radcliffe Square between the University Church and the Radcliffe Camera , impromptu music, etc., for a couple of hours from around 6.15am onwards. There is a party atmosphere, despite
1281-487: The 300 undergraduate offers made by Magdalen between 2017 and 2019, 25 (one in twelve) went to pupils from Eton College or Westminster School. The college grounds stretch north and east from the college, and include most of the area bounded by Longwall Street , the High Street (where the porter's lodge is located), and St Clement's . The college features a variety of architectural styles, and has been described as "a medieval nucleus with two incomplete additions, one from
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#17327828727381342-678: The Chapel converted to Catholicism. 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." James' interference with the college fed resentment in Anglicans who used it as evidence that his rule was autocratic. On 25 October 1688, shortly before
1403-538: The Cloister, overlooking four croquet lawns on one side and the Grove deer park on the other. It is used for accommodation for undergraduates and fellows, including historically Edward Gibbon and C. S. Lewis , and also houses the wine cellar. Opposite the main college site and overlooking the Botanic Garden is the 19th century Daubeny Laboratory. The Garden had been established between 1622 and 1633 as
1464-567: 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. 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 (the manticore , boxers, and lamia in front of
1525-672: The Denning Law Library. During term time, the auditorium hosts film screenings organised by the Magdalen Film Society. Along Addison's Walk is the Holywell Ford site, where most of the graduate accommodation is located. Holywell Ford house was built by Clapton Crabb Rolfe in 1888 on the location of an older mill, and was acquired by Magdalen in the 1970s. Additional blocks of accommodation were built in 1994-5 by RH Partnership Ltd. In addition to
1586-523: The Grammar School, a Master and an usher. 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 adjective maudlin because the late medieval English name of Mary Magdalene was Maudelen, derived from
1647-507: The Junior Common Room, representing pride, contention, and lust). In 2017, repair work was undertaken to restore the severely damaged boxers statue. 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. In the early 1900s, renovations were performed, and it
1708-665: The Old French Madelaine. Oxford and Magdalen College were supporters of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War . In 1642, Magdalen College donated over 296 lbs of plate (ie. silver or gold utensils or dishes) to fund the war effort – the largest donation by weight of any Oxford college. Magdalen College, commanding a position on the banks of the Cherwell that overlooked Magdalen Bridge and
1769-545: 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 Sherard herbarium . After Daubeny's death, this was assimilated to house the growing collection. Later, it became accommodation for graduate students,
1830-763: The Professor's House, while the Sherard Herbarium is now part of the Fielding-Druce Herbarium held in the Department of Plant Sciences . Daubeny, who was also the Aldrichian Professor of Chemistry , had found the chemistry laboratory in the basement of the old Ashmolean Museum , what is now the History of Science Museum , to be "notoriously unworthy of a great University" and desired a better science facility. He petitioned
1891-532: The Tudor May Morning is in "Towers in the Mist" by Elizabeth Goudge . Another description is found in the film Shadowlands directed by Richard Attenborough , on an episode in the life of the English scholar, writer and fellow of Magdalen's C. S. Lewis , starring Anthony Hopkins as C. S. Lewis and Debra Winger as Joy Davidman , and including footage from the 1993 May Morning celebrations. During
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1952-490: The city led by the Dean of Divinity. Large crowds of both students and Oxford residents normally gather under the tower, along the High Street , and on Magdalen Bridge . Students and fellows of Magdalen College gather in the college cloisters and on top of the other towers within the college grounds. In 2017 the event took place during the Bank Holiday weekend, and a record 27,000 people gathered to hear Sol Samba. During
2013-568: The city. The earthworks where it was located, in the Water Meadow where the Cherwell forks, are still apparent today. Further fortifications and earthworks were built to protect the Holywell Ford site to the north. During the first Siege of Oxford , Charles I surveyed the battle from Magdalen Tower . Following the capitulation of Oxford to Thomas Fairfax at the end of the First English Civil War, Parliament ordered
2074-456: The college cloisters and on top of the other towers within the college grounds. In 2017 the event took place during the Bank Holiday weekend, and a record 27,000 people gathered to hear Sol Samba. During the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic the event was cancelled, however the choir recorded a 'Virtual May Morning', originally broadcast live. This is then followed by general revelry and festivities including Morris dancing in Radcliffe Square between
2135-548: 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. The Grove or deer park is a large meadow which occupies most of
2196-490: The college to be allowed to build one, and the Daubeny laboratory was completed in 1848. The Daubeny Laboratory was preceded by the anatomy school and laboratory at Christ Church which opened in 1767, and would be followed later in the century by other college laboratories including the Balliol-Trinity Laboratories . Daubeny's laboratory was a two-storey room with benches and cupboards encircled by
2257-526: The college, and the kitchens survive today as the college bar, the Old Kitchen Bar. New construction began in 1470 with the erection of a wall around the site by mason William Orchard . Following this, Orchard also worked on the chapel, hall, and the cloister, including the Muniment and Founder's Towers , with work completed around 1480. The Cloister or Great Quad is the "medieval nucleus" of
2318-473: 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 the Founder'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
2379-422: 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 by neo-Gothic sculptor Thomas Earp . The stained glass windows facing St John's Quad feature a grisaille depiction of the Last Judgement . These windows, dating from 1792, are a reconstruction by glass painter Francis Eginton of an earlier 17th-century window that
2440-412: The early hour. In fact, in some years there are all-night balls the night before, so some people, especially students, are in formal attire. There is a modern tradition of students jumping from Magdalen Bridge. This occurred sporadically in the 1960s, becoming an annual event by the 1980s. However the river is sometimes shallow, which has on occasion caused serious injury, notably in 1997 when one person
2501-657: The eighteenth and one from the nineteenth century". 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 Gothic Founders Tower , which is richly decorated with carvings and pinnacles and has carved bosses in its vault. The Chaplain's Quad runs along
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2562-535: The fellows, 21 of the demies (scholars), and all but one of the servants were also expelled. With the Royalists finally removed, the college would host Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell in 1649. After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 John Oliver was reappointed to the college, followed by 17 fellows and eight demies. During the 1680s, King James II made several moves to reintroduce Catholicism into
2623-564: The former site of Magdalen Hall . The hall was an independent academic hall that developed from Magdalen College School, not the earlier Magdalen Hall founded by William Waynflete. Most of Magdalen Hall's buildings were destroyed by fire in 1820, though the Grammar Hall survived and was restored by Joseph Parkinson. The hall moved to Catte Street in 1822 and was incorporated as Hertford College in 1874. The new construction, St Swithun 's quad (sometimes given as St. Swithin's quad ),
2684-453: 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. The tower contains a peal of ten bells hung for English change ringing . They were cast at a number of different foundries and the heaviest, weighing 17 cwt ,
2745-399: The impression of a stone vaulted ceiling, is in fact a facsimile made from plaster added in 1790 by neo-Gothic architect James 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. After 1662, a painting (or possibly a mural ) of
2806-587: 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 of fallow 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
2867-534: The previous centuries. Vera Brittain wrote a poem with the title May Morning in 1916. The first ten lines depict the actual event. One fictional description of the Tudor May Morning is in "Towers in the Mist" by Elizabeth Goudge . Another description is found in the film Shadowlands directed by Richard Attenborough , on an episode in the life of the English scholar, writer and fellow of Magdalen's C. S. Lewis , starring Anthony Hopkins as C. S. Lewis and Debra Winger as Joy Davidman , and including footage from
2928-570: The public during certain exhibitions. In 1931, the New Library, now called the Longwall Library, was established in the former Magdalen College School building in Longwall Quad and became the college's main library for students. It was opened by Edward VIII when he was a student at Magdalen. It was renovated between 2014 and 2016 by Wright & Wright Architects and reopened by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge . In addition,
2989-511: 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, and Prince Rupert is thought to have quartered in the college. 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
3050-605: 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 centuries, and make up the southwest corner of the college. 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. Some of the hospital buildings were reused by
3111-545: The site of St John the Baptist Hospital, alongside the Cherwell , initially using the hospital's buildings until new construction was completed between 1470 and 1480. 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, 30 demies , four chaplain priests, eight clerks, 16 choristers, and appointed to
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#17327828727383172-400: The then Anglican university. In 1687, he attempted to install Anthony Farmer as president of Magdalen. The fellows 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. The fellows elected instead one of their own, John Hough . James eventually offered
3233-533: 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
3294-522: The work of such dons as Thomas Dewar Weldon . During World War II , RAF Maintenance Command was headquartered at Magdalen. Magdalen College owns and manages the Oxford 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, before selling 40% of its stake in 2021 for £160 million. It
3355-590: Was cast in 1623. The tower is 144 feet tall and an imposing landmark on the eastern approaches to the city centre. It has been the model for other towers, including Mitchell Tower of the University of Chicago , Manhattan 's First Presbyterian Church , and All Saints' Church in Churchill, Oxfordshire . It forms the centre of the May Morning celebrations in Oxford, from which the choir sing pieces including
3416-467: Was designed by George Frederick Bodley and Thomas 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. Several new additions to the college were made in the late 20th century. The Waynflete Building, which
3477-417: Was destroyed in a storm. It had been uninstalled during World 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. 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
3538-410: Was left paralyzed, and 2005 when ten were hospitalised. Hence the bridge was closed every May Morning 1998–2001 and 2006–2009. In the 19th century, the young townsmen blew horns and ran riot, after the singing. Activities have varied over the previous centuries. Vera Brittain wrote a poem with the title May Morning in 1916. The first ten lines depict the actual event. One fictional description of
3599-479: 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". 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. Between 2015 and 2017, 47.2% of UK undergraduates admitted to Magdalen were from state schools; 12.2% were of BME ("black and ethnic minority") heritage and 0.7% were black. Of
3660-635: Was returned to a more medieval character. Student rooms were installed in the (very large) roof space in the 1980s. The chapel is a place of worship for members of the college and others in the University of Oxford community and beyond. As a High Anglican chapel, its tradition is influenced by the Counter-Reformation in the Church of England . Said and sung services are held daily during term. The choir sings Choral Evensong or Evening Prayer every day at 6:00 pm except on Mondays. On Sundays,
3721-449: 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 became Hertford College . Waynflete also established a school, now Magdalen College School , a private school located nearby on the other side of the Cherwell. Waynflete was assisted by a large bequest from Sir John Fastolf , who wished to fund a religious college. Magdalen College took over
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