List of fictional Oxford colleges
Encyclopedia
Fictional colleges are perennially popular in modern novels, allowing the author much greater license when describing the more intimate activities of an Oxford
college. Such institutions are often home to eccentrics or miscreants, murderers or snobs, and though wistfully romantic in their cloistered courts, host fictional events that could prove libellous were identifiable institutions used.
Below is a list of some of the fictional colleges of the University of Oxford
.
's His Dark Materials
novels feature a number of fictional Oxford colleges:
is predominently set within Oxford and environs, including the University. Consequently many fictional colleges are named. The derived television series, Inspector Morse
and Lewis, continues the idea:
's novel Jude the Obscure
features a number of fictional 'Christminster' colleges, a thinly fictionalized version of Oxford:
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
college. Such institutions are often home to eccentrics or miscreants, murderers or snobs, and though wistfully romantic in their cloistered courts, host fictional events that could prove libellous were identifiable institutions used.
Below is a list of some of the fictional colleges of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
His Dark Materials
Philip PullmanPhilip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
's His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass...
novels feature a number of fictional Oxford colleges:
- Foxe College - (based on Corpus Christi CollegeCorpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
); Richard FoxeRichard FoxeRichard Foxe was an English churchman, successively Bishop of Exeter, Bath and Wells, Durham, and Winchester, Lord Privy Seal, and founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.-Life:...
founder of Corpus Christi College. - Gabriel College - (based on Wadham CollegeWadham College, OxfordWadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
) - Jordan College - (loosely based on Exeter CollegeExeter College, OxfordExeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
) - St Michael's College
- St Sophia's College
Inspector Morse
The Inspector Morse series of book by Colin DexterColin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
is predominently set within Oxford and environs, including the University. Consequently many fictional colleges are named. The derived television series, Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
and Lewis, continues the idea:
- Beaufort College - Inspector Morse TV series; Named for Henry Beaufort, a Plantagenet royalHouse of PlantagenetThe House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...
and Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1397 to 1399. - Beaumont College - Inspector Morse novels; Beaumont StreetBeaumont StreetBeaumont Street is a street in the centre of Oxford, England.The street was laid out from 1828 to 1837 with elegant terraced houses in the Regency style. Before that, it was the location of Beaumont Palace, now noted by a plaque near the junction with Walton Street...
is a long road in central Oxford. One end emerges opposite Balliol's side entrance, and it extends to the front of Worcester CollegeWorcester College, OxfordWorcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
. Beaumont Street was formerly the site of Beaumont PalaceBeaumont PalaceBeaumont Palace built outside the north gate of Oxford was intended by Henry I about 1130 to serve as a royal palace conveniently close to the royal hunting-lodge at Woodstock . Its former presence is recorded in Beaumont Street, Oxford...
, perhaps the "location" of the college. - Chaucer College - Lewis (stand-in for Merton College); Named for influential poet Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
, "the father of English poetry". His son Thomas ChaucerThomas ChaucerThomas Chaucer was the Speaker of the English House of Commons and son of Geoffrey Chaucer and Philippa Roet.-Life:...
also managed the affairs of Henry Beaufort, Oxford's Chancellor. - Courtenay College - Inspector Morse TV series (based on Oriel College); Nuneham CourtenayNuneham CourtenayNuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford.-Manor:The toponym evolved from Newenham. In the 14th century the village belonged to the Courtenay family and in 1764 "Newenham" was changed to "Nuneham"....
is a village 5 miles south-east of Oxford; in the 14th century, the village had belonged to the influential Courtenay family, after whom the fictional college might also be "named". Nuneham HouseNuneham HouseNuneham House is a Palladian villa, at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire England. It was built for Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt in 1756. It is owned by Oxford University and is currently used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University...
was purchased by the University. The Harcourt ArboretumHarcourt ArboretumHarcourt Arboretum is an arboretum owned and run by the University of Oxford. It is a satellite of the university's botanic garden in the city of Oxford, England...
, part of the tree and plant collection of the University of Oxford Botanic GardenUniversity of Oxford Botanic GardenThe University of Oxford Botanic Garden is an historic botanic garden in Oxford, England. It is the oldest botanic garden in Great Britain and one of the oldest scientific gardens in the world. The garden was founded in 1621 as a physic garden growing plants for medicinal research. Today it...
, occupies part of what were the grounds of Nuneham House. - Gresham College - Lewis, episode "Dark Matter" (stand-in for Lincoln CollegeLincoln College, OxfordLincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
); The term "Invisible CollegeInvisible CollegeThe Invisible College has been described as a precursor group to the Royal Society of London, consisting of a number of natural philosophers around Robert Boyle...
" was a group of Oxford scientists (including BoyleRobert BoyleRobert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
, HookeRobert HookeRobert Hooke FRS was an English natural philosopher, architect and polymath.His adult life comprised three distinct periods: as a scientific inquirer lacking money; achieving great wealth and standing through his reputation for hard work and scrupulous honesty following the great fire of 1666, but...
and WrenChristopher WrenSir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
) who went onto establish the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
. The group would meet at Gresham CollegeGresham CollegeGresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
in London. - Lady Matilda's College - Lewis (based on and filmed in Lady Margaret Hall)
- Lonsdale College - Inspector Morse novels and subsequent Lewis TV series; Lonsdale scenes were filmed at Brasenose College.
- Mayfield College - Lewis episode "Life Born of Fire"; Mayfield Press is based in Cowley Road; the nearest college would be GreyfriarsGreyfriars, OxfordGreyfriars, situated on the Iffley Road in East Oxford, was one of the smallest constituent Halls of the University of Oxford in England. Its previous status as a Permanent Private Hall referred to the fact that it was governed by an outside institution , rather than by its fellows as is a...
on Iffley RoadIffley RoadIffley Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England. It leads from The Plain, near Magdalen Bridge, south-east towards the village of Iffley. While it becomes Henley Avenue at Iffley Turn, and then Rose Hill, many people will refer to the whole stretch from the ring road to The Plain as Iffley...
. However, scenes were filmed in and around Brasenose College. - St Jude's College - Lewis
- St Saviour's College - Inspector Morse TV series (based on New CollegeNew College, OxfordNew College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
) - Savile College - Lewis (filmed in and around Trinity CollegeTrinity College, OxfordThe College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
) - Trevelyan College - Lewis
- Wolsey College - Inspector Morse novels (based on Christ ChurchChrist Church, OxfordChrist Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
); Cardinal Wolsey founded Christ Church.
Jude the Obscure
Thomas HardyThomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's novel Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure, the last of Thomas Hardy's novels, began as a magazine serial and was first published in book form in 1895. The book was burned publicly by William Walsham How, Bishop of Wakefield, in that same year. Its hero, Jude Fawley, is a working-class young man who dreams of becoming a...
features a number of fictional 'Christminster' colleges, a thinly fictionalized version of Oxford:
- Biblioll College
- Rubric College
- Sarcophagus College
- Sepulchre College
Other mentions
- All Saints College - North and South, Elizabeth GaskellElizabeth GaskellElizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...
(veiled stand-in for All Souls CollegeAll Souls College, OxfordThe Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
) - Baillie College - Yes MinisterYes MinisterYes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
and Yes, Prime MinisterYes MinisterYes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
, attended by successive Cabinet SecretariesCabinet SecretaryA Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...
, Sir Arnold Robinson and Sir Humphrey Appleby. A very thinly veiled reference to BalliolBalliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
; indeed in several episodes Sir Humphrey Appleby is seen wearing a Balliol tie, and in the 2011 stage play version, the fictionalisation has been dropped entirely and Balliol College is overtly mentioned as the alma materAlma materAlma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
of the character. - Bartlemas College - Kate Ivory detective novelsDetective fictionDetective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, Veronica StallwoodVeronica StallwoodVeronica Stallwood is an English novelist.Stallwood was born in London. She now lives in a village south of Oxford. She is the creator of Kate Ivory, novelist turned amateur detective in Oxford....
; Takes its name from St Bartholomew's Chapel, itself belonging to Oriel College. - Bede College - Operation Pax, Michael Innes (pseudonym of J. I. M. StewartJ. I. M. StewartJohn Innes Mackintosh Stewart was a Scottish novelist and academic. He is equally well-known for the works of literary criticism and contemporary novels published under his real name and for the crime fiction published under the pseudonym of Michael Innes...
); Allusion to the Old English polymathPolymathA polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
, whose histories give us the account of St. Hilda, from whom St. Hilda's College, Oxford takes its name. - Brazenface College - Verdant GreenVerdant GreenVerdant Green is a fictional undergraduate at Oxford University, as featured in the Victorian novel The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green, by Cuthbert M. Bede . He was a student at Brazenface College, a fictional college....
, Cuthbert Bede (veiled stand-in for Brasenose CollegeBrasenose College, OxfordBrasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
) - Cardinal College - A Yank at OxfordA Yank at OxfordA Yank at Oxford is a 1938 British film, directed by Jack Conway from a screenplay by John Monk Saunders and Leon Gordon. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios...
(based on Christ ChurchChrist Church, OxfordChrist Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
); Christ Church was originally founded by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey as "Cardinal College" in 1525. - Charsley College - The Casual Ward, A. D. GodleyA. D. GodleyAlfred Denis Godley was a classical scholar and author of humorous poems. From 1910 to 1920 he was Public Orator at the University of Oxford, a post that involved composing citations in Latin for the recipients of honorary degrees. One of these was for Thomas Hardy who received an Honorary D. Litt...
- Clapperton College - The Oxford Virus, Adam Kolczynski (based on Christ ChurchChrist Church, OxfordChrist Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
) - Hacker College - The Complete Yes MinisterYes MinisterYes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
- Judas College - Zuleika DobsonZuleika DobsonZuleika Dobson, full title Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story, is a 1911 novel by Max Beerbohm, a satire of undergraduate life at Oxford. It was his only novel, but was nonetheless very successful...
, Max BeerbohmMax BeerbohmSir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
(based on Merton CollegeMerton College, OxfordMerton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
) - The King's College (known as "Dick's" after its founder Richard II) - Colonel Butler's Wolf and Our Man in Camelot, Anthony PriceAnthony PriceAnthony Price is an author of espionage thrillers.-Life and work:Price attended The King's School, Canterbury and served in the British Army from 1947 to 1949, reaching the rank of Captain. He then studied at Merton College, Oxford until 1952, earning the MA degree...
; "The King's College" is another name for Oriel College; Richard II has no historically significant involvement with Oxford University or the town. - Lancaster College - Incense for the DamnedIncense for the Damned----Incense for the Damned is a 1970 British horror film starring Patrick Macnee and Peter Cushing.-Plot:The film centers on a young student who has disappeared in Greece. When his friends search for him they notice that wherever he has been a number of murders have taken place...
, a Peter CushingPeter CushingPeter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
horror film set partially in OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, based on Doctors Wear Scarlet by Simon RavenSimon RavenSimon Arthur Noël Raven was an English novelist, essayist, dramatist and raconteur who, in a writing career of forty years, caused controversy, amusement and offence... - Lazarus College - Barchester TowersBarchester TowersBarchester Towers, published in 1857, is the second novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire". It is possibly Trollope's best known work...
, Anthony TrollopeAnthony TrollopeAnthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire... - Magog College - A Study in Sorcery, Michael KurlandMichael KurlandMichael Joseph Kurland is an American author, best known for his works of science fiction and detective fiction....
/Randall GarrettRandall GarrettRandall Garrett was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was a prolific contributor to Astounding and other science fiction magazines of the 1950s and 1960s... - Mandeville College - The Crime of the Communist, a Father BrownFather BrownFather Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor , a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922...
story by G. K. ChestertonG. K. ChestertonGilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction.... - Old College - Lot No. 249, Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
- St Ambrose's College - Tom Brown at OxfordTom Brown at OxfordTom Brown at Oxford is a novel by Thomas Hughes, first published in 1861. It is a sequel to the better-known Tom Brown's Schooldays...
, Thomas HughesThomas HughesThomas Hughes was an English lawyer and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. It had a lesser-known sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford .- Biography :Hughes was the second son of John Hughes, editor of...
(probably based on Oriel); Filmed at Oriel. - St Christopher's College - The Case of the Gilded FlyThe Case of the Gilded FlyThe Case of the Gilded Fly is a detective novel by Edmund Crispin first published in 1944. Crispin's debut novel, it contains the first appearance of eccentric amateur sleuth Gervase Fen, who is Professor of English Language and Literature in the University of Oxford...
and The Moving ToyshopThe Moving ToyshopThe Moving Toyshop is a comic crime novel by Edmund Crispin, published in 1946. The novel features the detective and Oxford don, Gervase Fen.It is dedicated to the poet Philip Larkin, Crispin's contemporary at St. John's College, Oxford...
, Edmund CrispinEdmund CrispinEdmund Crispin was the pseudonym of Robert Bruce Montgomery , an English crime writer and composer.-Life and work:Montgomery was born in Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire... - St David's College - A Study in Sorcery, Michael KurlandMichael KurlandMichael Joseph Kurland is an American author, best known for his works of science fiction and detective fiction....
/Randall GarrettRandall GarrettRandall Garrett was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was a prolific contributor to Astounding and other science fiction magazines of the 1950s and 1960s... - St George's College - Yes MinisterYes MinisterYes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
TV series - St Jerome's College - Endymion SpringEndymion SpringEndymion Spring is a children's fantasy novel by English-Canadian author Matthew Skelton. It was first published in 2006.-Origins and publishing history:...
, Matthew Skelton; college on St. Giles, with echos of Somerville. - St Joseph's College - Rumpole series
- St Matthew's College - The Dimension RidersThe Dimension RidersThe Dimension Riders is an original novel written by Daniel Blythe and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Bernice. A prelude to the novel, also penned by Blythe, appeared in Doctor Who Magazine #206...
, Daniel BlytheDaniel BlytheDaniel Blythe is a British author, who was born in Maidstone in 1969 and studied Modern Languages at St John's College, Oxford. After several years writing stories for the small press, Blythe began his professional career writing for the Virgin New Adventures series of Doctor Who novels, and very... - St Margaret's College - Fire and HemlockFire and HemlockFire and Hemlock is a modern fantasy by British author Diana Wynne Jones based largely on the Scottish ballads "Tam Lin" and "Thomas the Rhymer."...
, Diana Wynne JonesDiana Wynne JonesDiana Wynne Jones was a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction...
(probably based on Lady Margaret Hall) - St Mark's College - Patrick Grant crime novels, Margaret YorkeMargaret YorkeMargaret Yorke is an English crime fiction writer, real name Margaret Beda Nicholson .-Life and work:Born in Compton, Surrey, she spent her childhood in Dublin, moving to England in 1937. During World War II she worked as a hospital librarian, then at eighteen she joined the WRNS as a driver...
; and The Stars' Tennis BallsThe Stars' Tennis BallsThe Stars' Tennis Balls is a psychological thriller novel by Stephen Fry, first published in 2000. In the United States, the title was changed to Revenge...
, Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also... - St Mary's College - Sinister StreetSinister StreetSinister Street is a 1913-14 novel by Compton Mackenzie. It is a kind of bildungsroman or novel about growing up, and concerns two children, Michael Fane and his sister Stella...
, Compton MackenzieCompton MackenzieSir Compton Mackenzie, OBE was a writer and a Scottish nationalist.-Background:Compton Mackenzie was born in West Hartlepool, England, into a theatrical family of Mackenzies, but many of whose members used Compton as their stage surname, starting with his grandfather Henry Compton, a well-known...
(based closely on MagdalenMagdalen College, OxfordMagdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, MacKenzie's old college); and The Poison Tree, Tony Strong (based on St Peter'sSt Peter's College, OxfordSt Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
) - St Sexburga's College - Horace Sippog and the siren's song, Su Walton
- St Thomas' College - An Oxford Tragedy and The Case of the Four Friends, John Cecil MastermanJohn Cecil MastermanSir John Cecil Masterman was a noted academic, sportsman and author. However, he was best known as chairman of the Twenty Committee, which during World War II ran the Double Cross System, the scheme that controlled double agents in Britain.-Academic background:Masterman was educated at the Royal...
; St Thomas the Martyr's ChurchSt Thomas the Martyr's Church, OxfordSt Thomas the Martyr's is a Church of England church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, in Oxford, England, near Oxford railway station in Osney. The church was founded in the 12th century, dedicated to St Thomas Becket...
is located near OsneyOsneyOsney, Osney Island, or Osney Town is a riverside community in the west of the city of Oxford, England. It is located off the Botley Road, just west of the city's main railway station, on an island surrounded by the River Thames, known in Oxford as the Isis. Osney is part of the city council ward...
, and belongs to Christ Church. - Scone College - Decline and FallDecline and FallDecline and Fall is a novel by the English author Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1928. It was Waugh's first published novel; an earlier attempt, entitled The Temple at Thatch, was destroyed by Waugh while still in manuscript form. Decline and Fall is based in part on Waugh's undergraduate years...
, Evelyn WaughEvelyn WaughArthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
; Something Nasty in the Woodshed and The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery by Kyril BonfiglioliKyril BonfiglioliKyril Bonfiglioli was born Cyril Emmanuel George Bonfiglioli in Eastbourne, to an Italo-Slovene father, Emmanuel Bonfiglioli, and English mother, Dorothy née Pallett. Having served in the army from 1947 to 1952, and been widowed, he applied to Balliol College, Oxford where he took his degree...
, in whose novels Scone College represents BalliolBalliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
; King John de BalliolJohn de BalliolJohn de Balliol was a leading figure of Scottish and Anglo-Norman life of his time. Balliol College, in Oxford, is named after him.-Life:...
was crowned king at SconeScone, ScotlandScone is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The medieval village of Scone, which grew up around the monastery and royal residence, was abandoned in the early 19th century when the residents were removed and a new palace was built on the site by the Earl of Mansfield...
in 1292. - Shrewsbury College - Gaudy NightGaudy NightGaudy Night is a mystery novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, the tenth in her popular series about aristocratic sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, and the third featuring crime writer Harriet Vane....
, Dorothy L. SayersDorothy L. SayersDorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist. She was also a student of classical and modern languages...
(women's college, probably based on SomervilleSomerville College, OxfordSomerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
) - Simon MagusSimon MagusSimon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, in Latin Simon Magus, was a Samaritan magus or religious figure and a convert to Christianity, baptised by Philip the Apostle, whose later confrontation with Peter is recorded in . The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is...
College - Let Dons Delight, Ronald KnoxRonald KnoxRonald Arbuthnott Knox was an English priest, theologian and writer.-Life:Ronald Knox was born in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England into an Anglican family and was educated at Eton College, where he took the first scholarship in 1900 and Balliol College, Oxford, where again... - Tresingham College - The Oxford Virus, Adam Kolczynski (based on Keble CollegeKeble College, OxfordKeble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
) - Warlock College - Landscape with Dead Dons, Robert Robinson
- An unnamed college in A Staircase in SurreyA Staircase in SurreyA Staircase in Surrey is a sequence of five novels byScottish novelist and academic J. I. M. Stewart , and published between 1974 and 1978. The title refers to student accommodation in an imaginary Oxford college...
, a quintet of novels by J. I. M. StewartJ. I. M. StewartJohn Innes Mackintosh Stewart was a Scottish novelist and academic. He is equally well-known for the works of literary criticism and contemporary novels published under his real name and for the crime fiction published under the pseudonym of Michael Innes...
, based on Christ ChurchChrist Church, OxfordChrist Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, but never named. Surrey is the name of a quadrangle within the college.
See also
- Colleges of the University of OxfordColleges of the University of OxfordThe University of Oxford comprises 38 Colleges and 6 Permanent Private Halls of religious foundation. Colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university, and all teaching staff and students studying for a degree of the university must belong to one of the colleges...
- List of fictional Cambridge colleges
- List of fictional Oxbridge colleges
- School and university in literatureSchool and university in literature-School in literature:*Thomas Bailey Aldrich: The Story of a Bad Boy*Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak*Christine Anlauff: Good morning, Lehnitz*F...