Guide to Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete, the Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor of England. The college succeeded a university hall called Magdalen Hall, which had been established by Waynflete a decade earlier in 1448.

Following the acquisition of the St John the Baptist Hospital site, new construction began in 1470 under the direction of mason William Orchard. The primary structures, including the chapel, hall, and cloister, were completed around 1480.

The college's iconic Great Tower was begun in 1492 by the mason William Raynold and completed in 1509. Standing 144 feet tall, it remains a prominent landmark on the eastern approach to Oxford city centre.

During the English Civil War, Magdalen College was a staunch supporter of the Royalist cause. In 1642, the college made the largest donation of plate of any Oxford college to fund the war effort, and its grounds were later used for Royalist fortifications.

In 1687, King James II attempted to force the election of a president, leading to the expulsion of the college fellows. Their resistance was a notable moment in the university's relationship with the Crown, and the fellows were eventually restored in 1688.

The Palladian-style New Building was constructed beginning in 1733, based on designs by Edward Holdsworth. Although intended to form part of a new quadrangle, the structure remained unfinished until 1824 when its ends were completed by Thomas Harrison.

The college expanded westwards onto the former site of Magdalen Hall in 1880–1884. The new St Swithun's Quad was designed by George Frederick Bodley and Thomas Garner in a Gothic style, with further extensions added by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1928.

In 1979, Magdalen College transitioned from being a men-only institution for over 500 years to admitting its first mixed-sex cohort of students, following a trend seen at many other Oxford colleges.

The Daubeny Laboratory was completed in 1848 after fellow Charles Daubeny petitioned the college for a modern scientific facility. It served as the university's primary chemistry lab before being repurposed as a lecture hall in 1902 and graduate accommodation in 1973.

Magdalen College became a part-owner of the Oxford Science Park upon its opening in 1991. The college acquired total ownership in 2016, later selling a 40% stake in 2021 in a deal that significantly increased the college's endowment.