All Souls College

High Street 279379
Open 2pm - 4:30pm Mon-Fri, Free Admission
Official Website

All Souls College was built in the 15th century for the clergy as a center for prayer and learning by Henry VI. The name comes from a remembrance of the dead from the Hundred Years War with France in the 14th and 15th centuries ("...all souls of the faithfully departed..."). Students of this college are of the highest caliber, and they get elected, they do not apply, though some truly outstanding students can take (sit) exams to try and get in.

Don't Miss:

Twin gothic towers in the Great Quad; a large sundial built by Sir Christopher Wren, which sits on the wall of the Codrington library

Notable Facts:

• WB Yeats, though not a fellow of the college, loved the chapel and spent much time there. He composed "All Souls Night" in tribute to it.

• The tradition of the "All Souls Mallard" - At the beginning of each century, on January 14th, the warden leads a procession throughout the college to look for a mythical duck that appeared when the college was first being built, all the while singing the 'mallard song'. The mallard song, however, is not just sung once a century, but twice each year, at the November Gaudy and at the Bursar's Dinner in March.

• All Souls College is different from all other Oxford colleges in that it has no students. Its members automatically become Fellows (academics who are full governing members of the College).

• The sundial was designed by Christopher Wren and installed for only £32 and reads, "Pereunt et impautantur" - or - "They (the hours) pass and are set to your account"