My Name's Sake at University College

I was walking down High Street in Oxford last month and saw this sign.  Of course I had to follow. It is not often that I see a sign that bears my name.

This sign was just outside University College in Oxford.  It was pointing the way to a memorial to the Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Percy Bysshe Shelley attended University College in 1810 and was expelled the following year for “contumaciously refusing to answer questions proposed to [him], and for also repeatedly declining to disavow a publication entitled The Necessity of Atheism”. At the time, the College thought it had washed its hands of a troublesome student; it only realized later that it had expelled one of England’s greatest romantic poets.

The monument is the work of Edward Onslow Ford, a prominent member of the so-called “New Sculpture”, and the enclosure was designed by Basil Champneys.

The Shelley Memorial is one of the most beloved sculptures in Oxford.  It is an idealized depiction of the drowned Shelley washed ashore.  Shortly before his 30th birthday, Shelley drowned in a sudden storm while attempting to sail from Leghorn to La Spezia, Italy.

There is a legend that University College was founded by King Alfred in 872.  Most agree, however, that is was founded in 1249 by William of Durham. University College claims it is the oldest of the Oxford colleges, although this claim is contested by both Balliol and Merton Colleges. 

Until the 16th century it was only open to Fellows studying theology. As the college grew in size and wealth, its medieval buildings were replaced with the current Main Quadrangle in the 17th Century. 

University College began to accept female undergraduate students in 1979.

Among it's famous alumni are C.S. Lewis, Bill Clinton, and Stephen Hawking. 

The Chapel at University College

The Great Hall

The Main Quadrangle

University College is beautiful and well worth a visit.  As with most Oxford colleges, it is closed to the public.  It is only open a few weekends throughout the year for perspective students to visit. I'm glad I stumbled upon an open day and heeded the invitation to visit despite the fact that I look nothing like a perspective student. Lesson learned: if you see a sign with you name on it, follow the sign.