Magdalen Bridge spans the divided stream of the

River Cherwell The River Cherwell ( or ) is a tributary of the River Thames in central England. It rises near Hellidon, Northamptonshire and flows southwards for to meet the Thames at Oxford in Oxfordshire. The river gives its name to the Cherwell local g ...

just to the east of the City of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and next to

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

, whence it gets its name and pronunciation. It connects the

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

to the west with

The Plain The Plain (french: La Plaine), better known as The Marsh (french: Le Marais), was the majority of independent deputies in the French National Convention during the French Revolution. They sat between the Girondists on their right and Montagnar ...

, now a roundabout, to the east.

Antecedents

This point of the Cherwell has been used for crossing since ancient times. The first known reference to a bridge goes back to 1004 and originally it was probably a wooden trestle construction or a drawbridge. By the 16th century a late medieval stone bridge had replaced the wooden one. This bridge was about long and was formed by 20 arches. By the 1770s, the stone bridge was too narrow for the increasing traffic, as it did not allow two vehicles crossing safely. In addition to this, the structure was becoming unsound due to the combination of two factors: a generalized lack of maintenance and the negative effects of regular flooding. Eventually some of the arches of the western side collapsed during the floods of February 1772, making the bridge irreparable.

The new bridge

The present stone bridge was designed by John Gwynn of Shrewsbury with a similar length to the previous one. It has a total of 11 arches of different dimensions distributed as follows. For each of the two branches of the river there are three large semicircular arches plus two smaller ones at each side of the river, originally designed for the towpaths. A central elliptical arch, the only existing in the long central area across the island, completes the structure. This arch only conveys water when the island gets submerged. The original plans of the bridge are in the British Library, 1802 c.17, vol.2, and King's Maps xxxvi, 33 (1). The bridge, built between 1772 and 1790 by John Randall, originally had a width of , which accommodated a single roadway and two pavements. Although the bridge was opened to traffic by the end of 1778, a new scheme for the balustrade and the completion of the south western corner were not finished until 1782 and 1790 respectively. Gwynn's original design included an extravagant decoration for the balustrade with sculptures and sphinxes that were commissioned to

Henry Webber Henry Webber (1754–1826) was an English sculptor and modeller. Life He was born in July 1754, the son of Abraham Webber, a Swiss sculptor who had settled in England, and his English wife, Maria Quandt. He was apprenticed under John Bac ...

in 1778 but eventually abandoned in 1782. According to

Pevsner Pevsner or Pevzner is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aihud Pevsner (1925–2018), American physicist * Antoine Pevsner (1886–1962), Russian sculptor, brother of Naum Gabo * David Pevsner, American actor, singer, da ...

, the bridge has "good sturdy balusters", although these have been replaced over the years because of degradation due to pollution. Despite opposition from

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

members, the bridge was widened in 1882 to accommodate a four-foot gauge track for the tramway. The 18th-century bridge was widened by on the south side, but design was retained.

May Morning

The bridge is the scene of large crowds every 1 May early in the morning for the traditional

May Morning May Morning is an annual event in Oxford, United Kingdom, on May Day (1 May). Event The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower, a tradition str ...

celebrations in

. There has been a recent tradition of students to jump off the bridge, despite the danger of injury due to low water levels in the Cherwell. In some years many jumpers have been injured and, in order to avoid this, the bridge is now routinely closed on May Morning.

Literature

Magdalen Bridge was mentioned by John Betjeman (1906–1984) in his poetry: It is also mentioned in the 1911 novel ''

Zuleika Dobson ''Zuleika Dobson'', full title ''Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story'', is the only novel by English essayist Max Beerbohm, a satire of undergraduate life at Oxford published in 1911. It includes the famous line "Death cancels all engageme ...

'' by

Max Beerbohm Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the drama critic for the '' Saturd ...

(1872–1956).

Gallery

File:Boat rentals by Magdalen Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1419179.jpg, Boat station by Magdalen Bridge. File:Pedalo punts, Magdalen Bridge, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 247832.jpg, Punts at Magdalen Bridge by the

Botanic Gardens A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

. File:Snow Magdalen Bridge.jpg, View of Magdalen Bridge in the snow. File:MCS tunnel.JPG, Choristers' tunnel under Magdalen Bridge running from Magdalen College School to the Waynflete Building of Magdalen College.

References

External links

{{commons category, Magdalen Bridge
Magdalen Bridge, Oxford

Restrictions on Magdalen Bridge
by Tom Pinnock, ''

The Oxford Student ''The Oxford Student'' is a newspaper produced by and for students of the University of Oxford; often abbreviated to ''The OxStu''. The paper was established in 1991 by the Oxford University Student Union (Oxford SU) and is published every for ...

'', 2004 Bridges in Oxford Bridges completed in 1790 Magdalen College, Oxford Road bridges in England Deck arch bridges Arch bridges in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed bridges in England Grade II* listed buildings in Oxfordshire 1790 establishments in England