Oxford Colleges : Wadham

I remember when I first stepped into a college at Oxford, almost seven years ago, Magdalen College. I think I probably held my breath, and felt the elation that such places actually existed in real life, and not just in stories. Places that dive so deeply into history and hold so many Christian traditions. Places that hold so much beauty by being themselves, as they were made. Places that encourage learning, growth, and thinking for yourself. and grow in the ability to defend your opinions and your thoughts. A place where you are able to explore the minds of grand expanse of tutors and professors. To dig deeply into books, topics, and stretch your ideas.

All these things are held within the walls of a college. The chapel, dining hall, library, rooms, community rooms, walks, gardens, etc... Everything needed to assist in your growth. The scent of old ideas lingers within the walls, but they mix with younger minds and become etched into the landscape of the college. 

Every time I visit another college, I try to get a sense as to what the student living there will experience. Where will they lounge in the garden? Where will they study? Is the dining hall cosy or grand?

This is why I enjoy staying in college so much. I become the student (minus all the essays and tutorials) for a little while. This time it was Wadham College. Living in the rooms, eating in the dining hall, wandering the quadrangles, and gazing out the fourth floor windows at a city of dreaming spires with a dreamy look in my eyes. The staircase we stayed in, Staircase 9, was built in 1693 for college rooms.

Wadham's main quadrangle was built between 1610-1613. It is in the traditional Oxford Gothic style, with a few classical notes. It is one of the most symmetrical styles I have seen. The hall is one of the largest in Oxford, with a beautiful hammer-beam roof and Jacobean woodwork. Portraits line the walls of distinguished members, such as Sir Christoper Wren (the architect for St. Paul's Cathedral, Sheldonian Theatre, etc).

I am a student for life, and to me, learning is a wonderful life-long adventure. Being in college adds the living aspect that is also comfortable. Sure, the rooms are not decorated with art or colour, but they are always clean They have all the furniture needed, they are comfortable, and quiet. I have access to the chapel, the dining hall, the porter at the lodge, walking around the grounds, and can wander a bit more than the average visitor.

As the trees of old reach higher above the walls of the college, the traditions hold and stay as they have been for generations. I get to see that in action, and be part of it, which is a privilege in my eyes.