The Beasts of Oxbridge
Updated: Aug 11
All based on Christian Coop's complete watercolour survey of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges and halls in the Oxbridge Gallery.
The architect in me loves buildings for their architecture, the artist side of me for the stories and secret history, but we all have an inner geek, and that’s where oddities come in. To celebrate completing my watercolour survey of every college and hall of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge (yes, all of them — I did mention I was a geek), I thought I would unleash my animal side, or theirs, because the colleges of Cambridge and Oxford have strange relationships with animals for centuries. Indeed, it’s important to know a few of the colleges were well established before the Aztec Empire existed, so at least they were respecting the animals and not sacrificing them.
Here are a few rich stories to bring your inner beast out...
The Dragon of Wolfson College
While known for its modernist architecture, Wolfson College hides a fantastical secret. Included in the "Twenty Wolfson Gems" is a dragon that resides in the college gardens. Tales are also abound that there are "340-million-year-old creatures"—fossils from a deep geological past—hidden in the very fabric of the buildings beneath the students' feet. The Irish Blue Limestone slabs come from a shallow tropical sea deposit from about 340 million years ago and contain thousands of the little critters.
The Tortoise Keeper of Corpus Christi
One of the most beloved living traditions in Oxford belongs to Corpus Christi College, founded in 1517. The college is famous for its resident mascot: a living tortoise. This lucky reptile is cared for by a dedicated student "Tortoise Keeper," and every year the college participates in a Tortoise Fair, where tortoises from various colleges compete in a famously slow-paced race, no doubt to the soundtrack of Chariots of Fire!
The Hundred-Year Mallard of All Souls
All Souls College, a unique research institution founded in 1438, maintains one of the university's most bizarre traditions: the Mallard Ceremony. Held only once every 100 years, the "Hunting of the Mallard" commemorates a legendary giant duck supposedly found during the digging of the college’s original foundations. The ceremony involves singing a special song and parading with a fake duck on a stick, something tells me it wasn’t fake 100 years ago.
The Unicorn of Worcester College
If you step inside the chapel at Worcester College, you will find an interior described as an "artistic marvel". Amidst the colourful decorations by William Burges are carved kangaroos and whales, while the frescoes above feature a riot of dodos and peacocks, even a unicorn. A kind of medieval bestiary reborn in Victorian Gothic form. Burges was a church architect and loved to celebrate god and all his creations but seriously, unicorns?
Architectural Illustration: Magdalen College, Oxford. | Architectural Illustration: Brasenose College, Oxford. | Architectural Illustration: Pembroke College, Oxford. |
Hieroglyphics and Brazen Noses
Other animal icons are woven into the very names and stones of the university:
Magdalen College: Look closely at the architecture to find stone hieroglyphics—intricate carvings of lions, deer, and other beasts that watch over the quadrangle, each holding a symbolic meaning for the college.
Brasenose College: This historic college, founded in 1509, derives its unusual name from a "brazen nose"—a brass or bronze door knocker shaped like a beast's snout that once adorned the medieval hall and spoke apparently.
Pembroke College: Affectionately known as "the pink college," it has adopted the Pink Panther as its official mascot - I can’t read that sentence without picturing Peter Sellers.
The Rabbit Room at the Eagle and Child
Even the local landmarks have their animal ties. The Eagle and Child pub—famed as the meeting place of the Inklings (J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis)—features the 'Rabbit Room'. It was here, amongst plaques and memorabilia, that some of the greatest works of 20th-century literature were first discussed.
Trinity College: No Dogs Allowed
Lord Byron famously kept a pet bear in his rooms at Trinity College because the university rules explicitly banned dogs, but said nothing about bears. I also don’t think they had a rule about unicorns.
Emmanuel Ducks: Are they on the menu?
No: Emmanuel College is renowned for its large population of ducks that live around its ponds and gardens. They are so integrated into college life that they have inspired unique student customs like naming "college families" after them.
A time-eating monster at Corpus Christi
The Time-Eating "Chronophage": One of the most terrifying creatures in my survey is found on the Corpus Clock at Corpus Christi (Cambridge). It features a gold-plated "chronophage" (time-eater), a beast that "eats" every second as it passes. The clock is impressive but I am perhaps more impressed that there is name for a time eating insect
Why is a goat the mascot of Fitzwilliam College?
Students! Nickname one: Fitzbillies. Nickname two: Billies. Nickname three: Billy-goats. Nickname four: Goats, etc.Now the College is famously associated with its goat mascot, which is a shame as there is rumoured to be a deer living within the grounds. Nickname one: Deers. Nickname two: Dear. Nickname three: Darling. Nickname four: Sweethearts, etc. Let’s try to change their symbol to some love hearts!
The Chicken of Wolfson College
The Cambridge Wolfson College has an animal marginally less feared than the Oxford dragon the Founders' Chickens. Wolfson College (Cambridge) has more humble roots; its founders, Professor John Stanley Gardiner and Edith Gertrude Gardiner, famously raised chickens at the residential house that formed the heart of the college. WFC, Wolfson Fried Chicken, anyone?
Want to see all the collages and halls of Oxford and Cambridge? Click here.
About the Artist Christian Coop, MSAI, is an architect and artist documenting the UK’s built heritage through one of the largest contemporary collections of architectural watercolours. With 30 years of experience an architect and a Design Director at leading global firms, his work has been featured by CNN, the BBC, and the RIBA Journal. He is currently an Associate Partner and Design Director at HTA
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