Magdalen College

A very beautiful campus. The grounds are spectacular. They have nice clean bathrooms to use here. The chapel was a little hard to find. I kept walking by the door because it was unmarked. The chapel is unusually wide and not very deep. It is also a little dark compared to other Oxford colleges. The food hall is impressive. Definitely worth a visit. Probably one of the top three to visit if your pressed for time.

The deer park is very beautiful. Worth taking a walk! :)

Hard to say which of all the colleges is my favourite for they are all beautiful and have their own ‘quirks’. I try to make May Day as often as possible, for it a joy to to stand and stare, and listen! And then. there’s always the great breakfast down the Magdelene Arms on the Iffley Road!

Je né vais tout de même pas mettre 4 étoiles au College qui m’a refusée ! mais il a bien fait, car j’ai eu une bonne raison pour tenter ma chance ailleurs à Oxford, comme graduate évidemment, et je m’en suis pas si mal tirée ! Madgalen m’a refusée, mais je porte pas un nom à particule, alors, ça se comprend !

There is little to add the other excellent reviews.
However, two further points of interest for the visitor:
On the wall of the prechapel is an enormous painting by Leonardo’s assistant Giampetrino (ca. 1515) which I believe is on loan from the National Gallery.
Since it is clearly a rendering of The Last Supper ‘after’ Leonardo and is situated above the exit, it does tend to stop you in your tracks as you go out. (photo)
Another charming point of interest is in Addison’s Walk, just round the corner from the quad. It is a slate carving of the poem What the bird said early in the year by C.S. Lewis.
I heard in Addison’s Walk a bird sing clear:
This year the summer will come true, this year, this year.
Winds will not strip the blossom from the apple trees
This year, nor want of rain destroy the peas.
This year time’s nature will no more defeat you
Nor all their moments in their passing cheat you.
This time they will not lead you round and back
To Autumn, one year older by the well-​worn track.
This year, this year, as these flowers foretell,
We shall escape the circle and undo the spell.
Often deceived, yet open once again your heart,
Quick, quick, quick, quick! The gates are drawn apart. (photo)

I love Magdalen College’s Deer Park, I love the tradition of singing from the Tower on May morning (although the idiots jumping in the river are entirely missable), and I love the atmosphere in the College. Well worth a visit.

Magdalen is one of the more famous colleges and deservedly so. The college is quite beautiful, hauntingly at times. Make sure you see the deer park at the rear of the college, as well as the chapel and the cloisters. Access to the public is fairly open, though there is an entrance fee. Magdalen tower is where the choir sings from on the 1^st May each year, crowds gather to watch them at sunrise and some foolish students try to jump off the nearby bridge!

Magdalen is definitely very pretty and has been used in films, postcards, posters and books for good reason. Not all areas are open to tourists, but you can get a good feel for the place in the areas that are allowed.
Definitely check out the deer garden for a nice escape from the hectic high street, and the cloisters for a real sense of history. There are some impressive stained glass windows, the church tower and the chapel where the world-​famous Magdalen choir sings. Formal hall, where students of the college receive a restaurant-​style sit down meal, has a grace sung in Latin by the choir. If you want to hear them, and the associated Magdalen School choirboys sing, then evensong is on some evenings — they display the times for the week outside.
The college is open to visitors:
October — around June: 1pm-​6pm or dusk
End of June — Sept 2007: 12 noon-​6pm.
There are some odd days when it is closed. Best to check on the website:
before you visit.
It costs £3 for adults and £2 for concessions, although Oxford students, alumni and local residents can get in for free. Entry comes with a multilingual information leaflet.
Food is served in summer in the Old Kitchen (midday to 5.30pm every day) for light lunches and afternoon teas. There is also a visitors shop open in summer.
Top tip: Remember to look upwards when you’re wandering around — there are some very comic gargoyles around the walls.

Magdalen is one of the most beautiful Oxford colleges. A wonderful chapel (choristers sing from the top of the steeple on May day) and the actual college is lovely. Try going in with an Oxford student if you can as you will avoid the £2 entry fee and generally get less hassle at the door. They can also get you up to the top of the tower. What makes Magdalen in my book is the grounds surrounding the college. The college has it’s own deer park beleive it or not and it’s not uncommon to encounter a curious deer when walking around the grounds. Fellows gardens is also particularly nice and if you are looking to go punting in Oxford, Magdalen college is one of the best places to set off from. A real gem and probably my favourite Oxford college.