Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College, Oxford is so beautiful, I am going to have to split it up into two posts. It is generally regarded as the most beautiful college at Oxford, and you can easily see why. My interest in Magdalen is two-fold. It is a lovely college of Oxford University and it is also where C.S. Lewis lived and taught for almost 30 years.

Upon entering the college through the gate (by the way, it costs 5 pounds to tour the college), you are in St. John's Quad and you see the lovely stone buildings to your left. However, these are newer buildings (1884) relative to all the others we are about to visit.

The Chapel (from 1480) is the grand structure to your right as you enter the college. It fits the usual T shape plan inside, and you can take a peak in there. 

The cloister has an open-air walkway all around, with doors along the way and steep stairs going up to students' rooms.

Doors and stairways going off the hall of the cloister.

A closer look at some Oxford dreaming spires in the cloister.

Another lovely prospect.

One of the doorways off the cloister leads up some stairs to the dining hall.  The high table at the far end is for dons and special honoured guests.

One of the passages through the cloister leads out to the New Buildings (from 1733). This is where C.S. Lewis lived (is that the door that leads up the stairs to his rooms?) and where the Inklings met regularly, up in his rooms late in the evenings.

Looking out from New Buildings back toward the cloister and Magdalen Tower.

The New Buildings. The style of this building was like an elongated Georgian country house. It doesn't really fit in, but has become a classic building of the college. In the second post, I will show you the wilderness behind this building and how breathtaking it is.