Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene.
Magdalene counted some of the most prominent men in the realm among its benefactors, including Britain's premier noble the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of Buckingham and Lord Chief Justice Christopher Wray. Thomas Audley, Lord Chancellor under Henry VIII, was responsible for the refoundation of the college and also established its motto—garde ta foy (Old French: "keep your faith"). Audley's successors in the mastership and as benefactors of the college were, however, prone to dire ends; several benefactors were arraigned at various stages on charges of high treason and executed. Under the patronage of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, the institution was renamed Buckingham College.
Refoundation
Walden Abbey, one of the Benedictine abbeys associated with Buckingham College, came into the possession of Thomas Audley after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. On 3 April 1542 Audley refounded Buckingham College as the College of Saint Mary Magdalene. Derived from Audley were the arms of Magdalene, including the motto Garde Ta Foy (from Old French for "keep your faith"), and the wyvern as the crest. The transaction involved Spinola luring the master and fellows of the time to accept an increase in the annual rental from £9 to £15 a year in exchange for the property. The loss of the Aldgate property left the college in extreme poverty, and the street front of the college was only completed in the 1580s under the generosity of Christopher Wray, then Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench. The transaction was "almost certainly illegal", and was contested multiple times without success. The first and most famous such lawsuit, the Earl of Oxford's case, was pursued in 1615 by Barnabas Gooch, who was master of the college between 1604 and 1626. This court case landed Gooch and the senior fellow in prison for two years. Gooch was subsequently offered £10,000 as a compromise, which he refused to accept. When the Quayside development site of Magdalene College was completed in 1989, a gargoyle of Spinola which spits water into the Cam was installed as a "revenge at last"; the gargoyle was designed by Peter Fluck and Roger Law, the creators of Spitting Image. Pepys was remembered by the Pepys Library, built around 1700, until the construction of the New Library.
Enlightenment
thumb|right|The hall in 2014
Daniel Waterland, a theologian by training, became master of the college in 1714 and prescribed a new curriculum for undergraduate students at Magdalene. His new curriculum included Mathematics, Newtonian Physics, Geography and Astronomy, as well as Classics, Logic and Metaphysics. Waterland was also successful in attracting financial aid for the college, including funds for scholarships. The mathematician Edward Waring was among those who joined the college during this period.
In 1781, Peter Peckard, one of the earliest abolitionists, became master of Magdalene. The Zong massacre of 1781 prompted Peckard to speak strongly against slave trade in his sermons, some of which were published as tracts and pamphlets. Peckard set the college on the course of achieving a wider reputation of scholarship and sound thinking, and was later appointed as vice-chancellor of Cambridge University. During the same period, Magdalene also admitted Catholic students such as Charles Januarius Acton, and Asian students who were excluded from many other colleges until after the First World War.
Modern development
thumb|The wooden gate leading to the Magdalene Village
The modern development of Magdalene was shaped by A. C. Benson, master from 1915 to 1925. His enthusiasm and attention to detail produced outstanding pieces of poems, essays and literary criticism; his diaries were also studied by many later critics. His financial generosity effected significant impact on the modern appearance of the college grounds: at least 20 inscriptions around the college refer to him. In 1930, Benson Court was constructed and named after him.
From 1972, the previously all-male colleges in Cambridge started admitting women, the first three being Churchill, Clare and King's. In 1985, Oriel College, Oxford, admitted women, making Magdalene the only surviving all-male Oxbridge college. The following year, Magdalene made the decision to admit women and become co-residential. When women joined the college in 1988, some male undergraduates protested by wearing black arm-bands and flying the college flag at half-mast.
21st century
Magdalene has an evenly mixed student body in terms of sex, race and education background. and the college's close affiliation with international students' bursaries such as the Prince Philip Scholarship and the Jardine Foundation has attracted many applicants from Southeast Asia, most notably Wong Yan Lung who went on to become Secretary for Justice for Hong Kong.
In October 2022, the new library designed by Niall McLaughlin Architects won the Stirling Prize for excellence in architecture.
The hereditary visitor of the college is Baron Braybrooke ex officio as heir of the founder of the college, Lord Audley.
Buildings and grounds
Magdalene College is located at the bend of the River Cam on the northwestern side of the town centre, at the foot of Castle Hill. The college was deliberately built on the opposite end of Magdalene Bridge from the town centre so that the Benedictine student-monks would be secluded from the business and temptations of the town. As such, it was the first Cambridge college to be built on the northwestern side of the Cam.
Magdalene's old buildings are representative of the college's ramshackle growth from a monks' foundation into a centre of education. It is also distinctive in that most of the old buildings are in brick rather than stone (save for the frontage of the Pepys Building). Magdalene Street divides the ancient courts from more recent developments. One of the accommodation blocks in the newer part of the college was built by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the early 1930s. Opened in 2005, Cripps Court, on Chesterton Road, features new undergraduate rooms and conference facilities.
Main site
thumb|Interior of the chapel
The main site of the college is the area bounded by Magdalene Street, Chesterton Lane and the River Cam. It was the original area of college buildings from the 1470s.
Porters' lodge and First Court
Situated on the north-east side of Magdalene Street is the porters' lodge, where mail to members of the college is delivered and distributed. Past the gatehouse by which the porters' lodge is situated lies First Court. The chapel was the first to be built in around 1470, while the gatehouse including the porters' lodge and the street-front of the college did not exist until 1585.
The chapel lies in the north range of First Court, and its original construction dates to 1470-72. However, restoration works meant that little of the original chapel other than the original roof remains. Since the college is dedicated to Mary Magdalene, much of the chapel's artwork describes her story. The glass windows on the eastern wall of the chapel are dedicated to the encounters between Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ around the time of the crucifixion of Jesus: anointing Jesus with her jug of ointment, watching the crucifixion, weeping at the tomb and recognising Jesus after his resurrection. Compared to most other Cambridge colleges of medieval origin, Magdalene's chapel is smaller in line with the college's relatively small population. Despite its smaller size, however, the chapel's physical proportions are in keeping with those of other medieval Oxbridge college chapels, reflecting the traditional layout of Solomon's Temple: the ratio of Magdalene's antechapel, choir, and sanctuary (1:4:2) matches that of the Temple's porch, holy place, and holy of holies. In 2000, the chapel received a new Baroque-style pipe organ built by Goetze & Gwynn.
Past the chapel, the hall separates the First Court to the west and the Second Court to the east. This is where formal dinners are served. The hall itself was built in the early 16th century, again with many later refurbishments but never gas or electric lighting — Magdalene's hall is unique in Oxbridge in relying solely on candlelight. To the far end of the hall is the High Table, placed on a platform one step above ground level, where fellows and their guests dine. Students dine at three long benches in front of and perpendicular to the High Table and spanning to the entrance. Flanking the entrance is a double staircase leading to a minstrels' gallery and the senior combination room. The walls of the hall are decorated with 15 portraits of notable benefactors and past members. Because of the famous Pepys Diary, the Pepys Library became a popular tourist destination in Cambridge. Construction of a new College Library began in 2018; the new building, designed by Niall McLaughlin Architects, offers three times more space.
thumb|left|upright|Fellows' Garden Path in autumn
Also situated on Second Court is Bright's Building, named after Mynors Bright, notable for having deciphered the Pepys Diary. It was built in 1908–09 by Aston Webb to provide extra accommodation to host increasing numbers of undergraduate students.
Adjacent to the Fellows' Garden are two other gardens: the Master's Garden, which is part of the Master's Lodge and separated from the Fellows' Garden by a brick wall, It includes Benson Court, Mallory Court and Buckingham Court, and consists almost exclusively of student accommodation.
Across the courtyard is the Lutyens building, also designated Benson A-E, which was built and named after Sir Edwin Lutyens, the architect who planned much of the Village. Due to a lack of funding, it was the only part of Lutyens' original grandiose plan that was built. Part of the building's cost was sponsored by subscriptions raised by Harvard in memory of Henry Dunster, who studied in Magdalene in 1627–1630 and became a founding father of Harvard University. Hence, the crest of Harvard with the inscription Veritas can be found at the entrance to the D staircase. The Lutyens building currently hosts about 60 students and fellows as well as the college launderette.
Another two courts can be found to the northwest of Benson Court: Mallory Court and Buckingham Court. Mallory Court was named after George Mallory, the British mountaineer who famously answered "Because it's there" when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. The court itself comprises student rooms, some new and some converted from existing buildings which include a defunct brewery. Buckingham Court has two groups of buildings, which includes the "Tan Yard Cottages" incorporated to the college and refurbished in 1966, and a new building which contains the college's car park. The new Buckingham building, completed in 1970, marked the completion of the Magdalene Village.
Cripps Court
thumb|Cripps Court Orangery
Cripps Court is situated on the opposite side of Chesterton Road from the main site of the college. It was built between 2003 and 2005 in response to increasing demands for extra accommodation and conference facilities. The site of Cripps Court is a natural southerly slope, which can be seen from the stepped courtyard in between the buildings. The court was sponsored by, and named after, the Cripps family headed by Humphrey Cripps. It contains a 142-seat auditorium, 5 seminar rooms, an oak-roofed event gallery also called the orangery, and about 60 student rooms.
New Library
thumb|The New Library
Officially opened on 2 July 2022, the New Library is the first library building constructed by Magdalene for 330 years and is situated in the western corner of the Fellows' Garden. Designed by Níall McLaughlin Architects, it won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2022 for its architectural achievements, the first Oxbridge building to receive this accolade. It holds the College's books for undergraduate and postgraduate use, and it provides more than 90 study spaces across three floors with views of the Fellows' Garden and the River Cam. There is also a group study room, social space, and an archive. The Robert Cripps Gallery provides gallery space for visiting exhibitions and for displaying parts of the College art collection to the wider community.
Events and traditions
Magdalene is noted for its 'traditional' style: it boasts a well-regarded candlelit formal hall (held every evening) and was the last all-male college in Oxford or Cambridge to admit women in 1988 (Oriel College was the last in Oxford, admitting women in 1986).
Spelling and pronunciation of name
The college is formally "The College of Saint Mary Magdalene", with "Magdalene" customarily pronounced "Maudlyn" ( ). The name was chosen when Thomas Audley re-founded and dedicated the college to Mary Magdalene in 1542. In early documents, the name of the college was spelt "Maudleyn" as it was pronounced. Although the standard pronunciation of the name "Magdalene" in the English language has changed, the customary pronunciation of the college's name was retained.
With the development of the General Post Office during the 19th century, the spelling of the college's name was fixed as "Magdalene" with a final "e", to avoid confusion with Magdalen College, Oxford. Sir Christopher Greenwood succeeded Williams as master of Magdalene on 1 October 2020.
Power to appoint the master was vested until 2012 in the visitor of the college, an hereditary title of the heir of the founder, Lord Audley (now Baron Braybrooke). Following an amendment to the college statutes, which was approved by the Queen in Council in February 2012, the master is now appointed by the governing body of the college. The master usually serves until reaching the statutory fellowship retirement age of 67. Exceptionally, this period may be extended until the master in question reaches 70 as occurred in the case of Duncan Robinson, master from 2002 to 2012.
With the position of master comes college-based residency in the form of the Master's Lodge, which may be populated and decorated according to the wishes of the master. Traditionally, every Sunday, the master attends the service in the college chapel before sitting at the head of the high table in hall for formal hall.
Notable current and past fellows
- Nicholas Boyle, Schroeder Professor of German and biographer of Goethe
- Howard Chase, Professor of Biochemical Engineering
- Tim Clutton-Brock, zoologist known for his work on red deer and meerkats
- Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English, a Chair formerly held by three previous Magdalene fellows: C. S. Lewis, J. A. W. Bennett, and John Stevens
- Hannah Critchlow, Outreach Fellow, author, broadcaster and neuroscientist
- Saul Dubow, Smuts Professor of Commonwealth History
- Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity and Roman Catholic commentator
- Richard Ellis, Professor of Astrophysics, University College London and former Director of Palomar Observatory, California
- Wolfgang Ernst, visiting fellow, Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford
- Peter J. Grubb, ecologist and botanist
- Christopher Greenwood, former British judge at the International Court of Justice.
- John Gurdon, former Master, honorary fellow, developmental biologist, begetter of the Gurdon Institute, Nobel prizewinner in 2012
- C. S. Lewis, literary critic, author and theologian
- Alfred Newton, ornithologist, first Professor of Zoology
- Derek Oulton, formerly Permanent Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department
- James Raven, cultural historian and historian of the book
- I. A. Richards, English literary critic and rhetorician, considered one of the founders of the contemporary study of literature in English
- David Roberts (1911–82), architect and Director of Studies in Architecture, designer of more student housing in England than any other architect of his generation.
- Emma Rothschild, Jeremy and Jane Knowles Professor of History at Harvard University, director of the Centre for History and Economics
- John Edwin Field, experimental physicist whose research focused on the physics and chemistry of solids.
Notable alumni
The college's most famous alumnus is the 17th-century chronicler Samuel Pepys whose papers and books were donated to the college upon his death and are housed in the Pepys Library. A portrait of the diarist by Peter Lely hangs in the Hall.
<gallery class="center">
File:Samuel Pepys.jpg|Samuel Pepys, naval administrator, politician and diarist
File:Stella Creasy - MP - 2017.jpg|Stella Creasy, politician
File:CharlesKingsley.jpeg|Charles Kingsley, author and academic
File:Sir Michael Redgrave portrait.jpg|Sir Michael Redgrave, actor
File:John Mcphee.jpg|John McPhee, award-winning writer
File:Monty Don Left.jpg|Monty Don, television presenter and writer
File:John Simpson at Chatham House 2015.jpg|John Simpson, journalist
File:Alfred Newton72.jpg|Alfred Newton, zoologist and ornithologist
File:
File:Mike Newell.jpg|Mike Newell, film director
File:Official portrait of Greg Clark crop 2.jpg|Greg Clark, politician
File:Official portrait of Lord Fellowes of West Stafford crop 2 (color corrected).jpg|Julian Fellowes, screenwriter
File:George Mallory 1915.jpg|George Mallory, English mountaineer
</gallery>