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Celebrating 40 years of Christ Church Picture Gallery...

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As another academic year draws to a close, ChristChurch begins to welcome the many thousands ofvisitors who pass through its gates for summerschools, conferences and tours over the summermonths. Once again we have news to report fromacross our unique foundation as college and Cathedral,from the epic win by four junior members onUniversity Challenge to the installation of a beautifullycrafted new fountain in the Cathedral cloisters. Thereare also details of all our forthcoming events.

One of the highlights of this Trinity 2008 edition ofChrist Church Matters is an article to mark the 40thanniversary of the Picture Gallery. Despite being arelatively recent addition to the fabric of a Tudorcollege, the Picture Gallery has played an importantrole in the life of the House since it was opened bythe Queen back in May 1968. On page two JacquelineThalmann, the current Curator, takes us on a tour ofthe gallery’s most remarkable design features, astructure that is ‘between fortified castle and playfulorangery’ and one which has recently been awardedGrade II listed status.

On 19-21 September Oxford will once again play hostto the collegiate Oxford Alumni Weekend. This year’sprogramme offers a huge variety of talks, tours,exhibitions, lectures and even a ‘Family Programme’catering for children. If you would like to request abrochure, or book online, then please visitwww.alumniweekend.ox.ac.uk for more details. Wehope to see many old members at the AssociationDinner on 20 September, which has been scheduledto coincide with the Oxford Alumni Weekend. Abooking form is provided in the magazine for theAssociation Dinner and for the Rugby Gaudy takingplace on 30 September.

Whether you wish to attend one of our regularevents, dine at High Table and catch up with your oldtutors or simply pop by to show your family aroundthe haunts of your undergraduate days, we are hereto help make the arrangements for you and lookforward to welcoming you back to the Housesometime soon. Development.office@chch.ox.ac.uk+44 (0)1865 286 325

Editorial ContentsEmma Sinden

AlumniRelations

Officer

CARDINAL SINS – Notes from the Archives page 1

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF CHRIST CHURCH

PICTURE GALLERY – a closer look at one Oxford’smost inspiring 20th-century spaces page 2

CATHEDRAL VOICES – 500 years of English church music page 6

A HIVE OF ACTIVITY – Cathedral School events page 7

CATHEDRAL NEWS – a new fountain in the cloisters page 8

NOTES FROM THE DEANERY page 9

FAREWELL CHRISTOPHER BUTLER – formerstudents salute their retiring mentor page 10

BOOK REVIEW – Jennifer Yee’s exploration of 19th-century French fiction page 13

NORTH AMERICAN REUNION – April in New York page 14

OVAL HOUSE – Innovative outdoor theatre in Kennington Park page 15

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE TRIUMPH – four from the House win exciting final page 16

RENOVATING BLUE BOAR – a progress report page 17

CHRIST CHURCH THROUGH A LENS The year in pictures page 18

ASSOCIATION NEWS page 19

FORTHCOMING EVENTS page 25

front cover:

‘A Boy Drinking’ byAnnibale Caracci(1560-1609)back cover:

The Picture Gallery‘cloisters’.photo: Bi Scott

photo: Bi Scott

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was being installed thatweek, and there wereinnumerable preparationsin hand. The absence ofone undergraduate,especially one who oftenwent AWOL, was a longway down the list ofpriorities. Three dayslater, though, peoplewere beginning to worry,and a search-party was put together.People were questioned, and a witnesssaid that he had seen Bayly, in hisnightgown, heading towards thePeckwater privy around nine on theMonday evening. It slowly began todawn that no-one had seen him since.Bayly, only eighteen, was foundcompletely smothered having fallenbackwards into the pit beneath the privyseats. Speculation was rife: Bayly was arenowned drinker, said some, and must

have been severalsheets to the wind.Nonsense, saidothers, he was amoderate youngman who must justhave fallen asleep,with disastrousconsequences. CanonStratford, always oneto make helpfulremarks after the

event, announced that, in his opinion,the privy seats were too big and had nobacks, and he had often commented tothis effect. Canon Terry was in a state ofthe “utmost affliction” at the loss of apupil in such distressing circumstances,and the affair can have done little toencourage Smalridge as he stepped intothe inauspicious shoes of FrancisAtterbury. But there was no dog in thenight… �

Judith Curthoys Archivist

The curious incident of the dog in thenight… One Monday night in July 1713,Richard Jenkinson visited the privy inPeckwater Quad, and heard a dogwhining somewhere nearby. 18thcentury Oxford nights must have beenjust as noisy as they are today, andJenkinson, who had been at ChristChurch for nine years and lived in Oxfordas a child, took no notice at all. JohnWainwright, a young graduate heading,in later life, for the Exchequer in Ireland,also heard noises when he spent a pennythat evening. He assumed that someoneout in the lane was suffering the effectsof too much beer from the Bear and,equally unconcerned, went back to hisroom to sleep. Another undergraduate,staggering across the quad beforeturning in around 11pm, was petrified bythe strange sounds issuing forth fromthe ‘house of office’, and fled to anotherprivy somewhere else in college.

Three days later, someonecommented toThomas Terry, canonand tutor to scores ofyoung men duringhis life-time at theHouse, that FrancisBayly was missing.Bayly was apparentlya rather insignificantyoung man, acommoner fromLudlow who was in histhird year at ChristChurch. It was a habitof his to disappearoccasionally for a dayor two, so no-one hadtaken much notice ofhis absence. Therewere far moreimportant things toworry about; a newdean, George Smalridge

Cardinal SinsNotes from the archives

1

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It is probably not insignificant that itwas in the year 1968, arguably the mostdramatic year in post-war history, thatChrist Church Picture Gallery opened itsdoors to the public. On the 2nd May1968 Her Majesty the Queen, Visitor ofthe House, inaugurated the PictureGallery and Blue Boar Quad, bothdesigned by the architect team Powelland Moya. Subsequently, from 6th May1968, Christ Church’s important OldMaster collection was open to the widerpublic. The aim was to improve access tosuch art treasures in the heart of Oxfordand by doing so to enhance thecollection’s significance andinternational reputation as aneducational tool and academic resource.

Christ Church’s outstanding artcollection, which had previously beenhoused and displayed in the LowerLibrary, had steadily grown since itsbeginnings in 1765, the year General JohnGuise bequeathed around 1,800 OldMaster drawings and 200 Old Masterpaintings to the House. When morebook-space was needed it became amatter of urgency to find adequate

housing for the works of art. Amongseveral suggestions – the mostproblematic was perhaps the idea to adda gallery on top of the new Blue Boarbuilding – was the plan to build adedicated art gallery. The plot for it wasfound in the Dean’s back garden. Charles(later Lord) Forte generously funded theproject, and Powell and Moya started todesign the building after being given thecommission in January 1963.

Perhaps it is best at this stage toaddress the difficulties with the buildingso that I can then sing my eulogywithout interruption. Yes, there areproblems with the structure, and as theforthcoming catalogue for the 40thanniversary exhibition will show,everyone who has worked in the PictureGallery has experienced some kind ofdrama involving the building – mainlyconcerning water. There was the‘production’ of protective water-hats forpaintings, the carrying of sandbags, themopping and drying of floors. We allbecame nervous as soon as the weatherforecast started predicting rain, and lastyear when the water was rising mynights grew sleepless – after all, thegallery is a subterranean construction.Nothing dramatic happened, but after aworkshop by English Heritage inKenwood House with the uplifting titleSurviving Disaster, I rushed out to buy an‘acqua vac’ which I thought to be themost useful object to survive a disaster.It has still not been in use after the Clerkof Works re-asphalted and re-insulatedthe last of the weak points in the roof

Celebrating 40 years ofChrist Church Picture Gallery

Jacqueline ThalmannCurator of the Picture Gallery

Inauguration of the Picture Gallery by Her Majesty theQueen on 2nd May 1968. L-R: Her Majesty the Queen,the Dean of Christ Church and Charles Forte.

It is a structure between fortified

castle and playful orangery, built

with a love for precision and detail

which is visually embodied in the

subtle interplay of different

materials.

ph

oto

: O

xfor

d M

ail &

Tim

es

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last year. I may also add that that theseare not problems unique to Powell andMoya’s building, for even the oldestmuseums struggle with the elements, ashas been seen in the Uffizi in Florenceand the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden.

The building we now have - ChristChurch Picture Gallery - is arguably themost modest and unassuming ofpurpose-built galleries and offers one ofthe most congenial display spaces forthe collection it contains. Contrary tomost modern and contemporarymuseums it does not want to outshinethe art, but enhance it.

The brief for the Picture Gallerybuilding imposed severe restrictions onits design. The allocated plot was limitedon the east by the wall separating ChristChurch property from Corpus Christi, andon the south and the west by a numberof large historic trees (including theCheshire Cat Tree). The allocated space asa whole was nestled between theDeanery, Library, Cathedral and aGeorgian building with students’ andtutors’ rooms. Thus access was onlypossible through already existing housesor private gardens. The height of the newgallery was also determined by itslocation. It must not obstruct the view,and so needed to be lower than thesurrounding structures; it also must notimpinge on the light levels of the roomsin the Canterbury building. In short, theGallery had to blend into the existinghistoric environment as if it was notthere and indeed, from the outside, it isinvisible.

As with so many of Oxford’s mostexciting features, it is unassuming andhidden from the public gaze. It playswith the symbolism of the world of Alicein Wonderland. The rabbit-hole to thePicture Gallery is the entrance to aneighteenth-century accommodationblock (Canterbury 4) which does notdiffer from the other staircase entrances.Visitors have to take a ‘plunge’ whenthey choose to go down the steps intothe basement where they have to passthrough a short tunnel under theGeorgian structure to emerge in thePicture Gallery.

Already at the entrance desk theairiness of the construction betrays itspartly subterranean nature. The L-shaped

building encloses a quadrangle that iscompleted by the old Corpus Christi wallin the east and the Georgian Canterburyblock in the north. The Gallery sides tothat quadrangle, or the cloister as it iscalled, are glazed. At this early point inthe building the architects’ ideas for thePicture Gallery already revealthemselves. It is a structure betweenfortified castle and playful orangery, builtwith a love for precision and detail whichis visually embodied in the subtleinterplay of different materials. The greyconcrete with the warm beige of thePortland stone, the brass and the glass,in some parts of the Gallery accentuatedwith wood, are the building materialswhich also act as ornament. The

“It plays with thesymbolism of the world of Alice in

Wonderland”

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corridor/cloister becomes an intercessoryspace between the outside (the garden)and the inside (the collection).

The glass wall on the left, whichmiraculously carries the weight of theupward moving ceiling with the help ofthree slender concrete columns, isstructured with vertical brass beams.They intersect the glass panes whichallow light to flow in from the garden.The glass front grows as the corridorstretches and rises from the basementto the ground-level. These features allowthe impression of a cooling cloister – andas in a monastery it is closed to theoutside gaze. On the right side of thecorridor, on the other hand, the fortress

character of the building has beenemphasised – two doorways with slidingmetal-barred gates and Portland stonedoor-surrounds open into the roomswhich house the major part of thepaintings.

The first opening leads into anintimate sky-lit room for the smallerpanels of the early Italian Masters (thePrimitive Gallery, named after thetraditional term for early Italian artists –the primitivi). The room, initially paintedwhite, has red walls now. Interestingly,this not only enhances the splendour ofthe gilded paintings, but alsoaccentuates the fortress-likearchitecture. The second opening furtherdown the corridor leads into the MainGallery with the larger sixteenth- andseventeenth-century paintings. AnnibaleCarracci’s Butcher’s Shop and Van Dyck’sContinence of Scipio occupy prominentplaces. The low-hung wooden ceiling inthe middle of this room is supported byfour concrete columns and surroundedby sloping sky-lights which allow thewalls to be subtly lit. Back in the airycorridor steps lead up to the ground-floor level. Only the glass wall nowseparates the Gallery interior from thelawn outside.

The ground-floor level is almostexclusively dedicated to the drawings inthe collection. The Drawings Gallery -

Christ Church PictureGallery can rightly

claim to be one of themost inspiring

twentieth-centuryspaces in Oxford.

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A catalogue is being published toaccompany the 40th anniversarycelebrations of Christ Church PictureGallery. The celebrations will combinetwo celebratory exhibitions – one of OldMaster drawings selected by theGallery’s previous Assistant Curators,and the other documenting the historyof Powell and Moya’s prize-winningpurpose-built art museum at the backof the Dean’s garden.

The catalogue is unique among exhibition catalogues, because it containsessays by a group of art historians, united through Christ Church Picture Gallery,contributing reminiscences of their tenure here, rather than academic essaysfrom their field of research. At a time of growing interest in art, museums andthe history of collections, these accounts are enlightening and entertaining. Theindividual essays are followed by a personal choice by each contributor ofdrawings from Christ Church’s collection. Included are such outstanding works asThe Archer by an anonymous French artist of around 1400; the Deposition byPontormo; Leonardo da Vinci’s Grotesque Head; Verrocchio’s Head of a Woman,which Christopher Butler recently described as the most beautiful thing in thepossession of Christ Church; the idiosyncratic Jacone; the recently acquiredGiaquinto - as well as Tintoretto, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini, and many more.

The contributors to this project, listed in chronological order of theiremployment in the Picture Gallery, are:

As the Dean says in his foreword to the catalogue, the gallery is worthcelebrating! We hope therefore that you will make time this summer to comeand visit.

The beautifully produced catalogue (original price £19.95) can be purchasedat a discounted rate of £14.95 at the Picture Gallery for the duration of theexhibition. �

40 years of Christ ChurchPicture GalleryStill one of Oxford’s best kept secrets

5

designed according to the specificationsof James Byam Shaw - offers space forrotating drawings exhibitions. It issurrounded by a smaller L-shapedcorridor where it was envisaged thatcontemporary paintings would bedisplayed. The Drawings Gallery has thecharacter of a small cabinet – in theinner sanctum of the building naturallight is excluded and is only reflectedthrough the doors that lead to it. At theend of the building a heavy lamellatebrass door shelters the Print-Room andthe original Gallery office. (The ‘old office’is now part of the Print-Room and theGallery administration, with its growingdemands, is now located in rooms inCanterbury Quad).

Christ Church Picture Gallery canrightly claim to be one of the mostinspiring twentieth-century spaces inOxford. The architectural historian SirNikolaus Pevsner described the Gallery inhis Buildings of England to be ‘exemplaryas a subtle and attractively detailedbuilding which while being entirely in themodern idiom, fits with great sensitivityinto its important setting’. His view hasbeen shared by many others and wasendorsed when in 1998, thirty years afterHer Majesty The Queen opened thePicture Gallery, the building was awardeda Grade II* listing by the Department ofCulture, Media and Sport. �

Christopher Lloyd (1967 – 1968)former Surveyor of The Queen’sPictures (1988-2005).

John Christian (1968 – 1974)consultant to Christie’s and anauthority on Victorian painting.

Jon Whiteley (1975 – 1978) SeniorAssistant Keeper at the AshmoleanMuseum, Oxford.

David Alston (1978 – 1982) ArtsDirector for the Arts Council of Wales.

Joanna Woodall (1982 – 1985) Senior Lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London.

Catherine Whistler (1985 – 1988) Senior Assistant Keeper at theAshmolean Museum, Oxford

Lucy Whitaker (1989 – 1996)Assistant Surveyor of The Queen’sPictures.

Christopher Baker (1997 – 2003) Chief Curator and Deputy Director ofthe National Gallery of Scotland.

Jacqueline Thalmann (2003 – )current Curator of the Picture Galleryat Christ Church, Oxford.

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One of the House’s treasures is its world famouscathedral choir and here is a rare opportunity forthe informed enthusiast and amateur music loveralike to join an exciting journey through half amillennium of English church music! This eventwill appeal to all who wish to learn more aboutan intriguing national musical heritage.

Most of England’s greatest composers havebeen associated with the Church. As early as the1520s John Taverner was writing gloriouspolyphonic music for the pre-Reformation liturgy.A generation later, under the patronage ofElizabeth I and James I, there was a flowering ofChurch music for the newly reformed services,producing masterpieces by composers like Byrd,Tallis, Weelkes and Gibbons.

The Baroque was in full swing by the end ofthe 17th century. The church music of Purcellepitomized the new theatrical style with a strongItalian flavour. Handel, initially successful as acomposer of Italian opera transferred hisenergetic dramatic style to the oratorio andanthem and became a naturalized Englishman.Until the mid 19th century, church musiciansstruggled in his shadow and musical standards inCathedrals declined.

In the wake of the Industrial Revolutionfamous figures such as S.S. Wesley and then Parry

and Stanford spearheaded an exciting revival. Theglories of the 16th century have been matched inthe 20th century, with Elgar, Vaughan Williams,Walton and Britten all composing extensively forthe Church. And the future looks bright, as somany contemporary composers are drawn to thispowerful source of creativity.

There is no better place to explore thiswonderful tradition than in Christ Church. OurCathedral Choir was an integral part of CardinalWolsey’s early 16th century foundation, in which heset out to display opulence and extravagance inthe institution’s music just as in its buildings. Then,as today, the choir’s task was to ‘sing the offices’daily in the Cathedral and John Taverner wasappointed as the first Master of Choristers in 1526.The quality of music in those pre-Reformation daysis evident from the complexity of the part bookshanded down to us from that period.

A succession of fine musicians has led thistradition across the centuries including Crotchand Ouseley in the 19th century and Harris andWalton in the 20th.

Today’s Choir under the direction of StephenDarlington, expresses a range and quality ofmusic comparable with that envisaged at thefoundation, and has received widespreadrecognition and praise. For all its pedigree Christ

Cathedral Voices acrossHalf a Millennium 10 – 14 September 2008

above: Howard Goodallbelow: Stephen Darlingtonall photos: K.T. Bruce

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Church Cathedral Choir – ‘one of the finest choirson Earth’ (Channel 4) is renowned for theyouthfulness of sound and its adventurousprogramming.

The programme is led by Stephen Darlington,Director of Music, and presenters include HowardGoodall, Dean Christopher Lewis, ProfessorJonathan Cross and other specialist speakers fromOxfrod and beyond. It also offers an opportunityto explore our unique musical, religious andcollegiate institution. The Evensong and GalaConcert programmes present gems from therepertoire of English liturgical music over the past500 years. �

An award-winning gargoyle design for theBodleian Library; a Christmas carol; a hand-knitted scarf; an oil-painted canvas fully five feetby three feet; and a first novel (author agedeleven): what these have in common is that theyare all from the creative output of boys at ChristChurch Cathedral School. It is widely felt that,nation-wide, much has been lost in the drive forbetter standards of literacy and numeracy inprimary schools. We are fortunate at ChristChurch Cathedral School to have the freedom ofcurriculum planning that enables us both toproperly address the academic development ofour pupils and to expose them to a wide range ofactivity in order to stimulate creativity andimagination. Whilst we frequently refer to thesepursuits as “extra-curricular” to differentiate themfrom timetabled subjects they are not all, properlyspeaking, “outside” the curriculum. Modernresearch into the very different ways of learningfound amongst children worldwide – theexplanation of the concept of emotionalintelligence, for example – has re-emphasised thenecessity to view time spent on these activities as

absolutely essential, not as a desirable “luxury”once the academic work has been done.

Dig a little deeper into the creative examplesgiven at the start of this piece and theireducational significance is even clearer. Thegargoyle design – well that was inspired by thereading of Jerome K Jerome’s “Three Men in aBoat”; the carol arose out of the experience (andacquired skills) of being a chorister; the scarf wasknitted as part of a weekly club activity called“Life Skills”; the inspiration behind the canvas wasthe gospel accounts of the Annunciation; and theenterprising novelist distributed his novel inchapters over the internet in return for a modestcharge. In other words none of these acts ofcreation happened in isolation: they were part ofa breadth of experience that is essential ifchildren are to grow up well-rounded individualsand not merely auxiliary troops in the league-table wars.

Not that the boys necessarily see it this way.Ask any of them why they spend time and efforton extra-curricular activity and they will say,“Because it’s fun!”�

A hive of activity Martin BruceChrist Church Cathedral School Headmaster

The Cathedral School studentsenjoying extra-curricularactivities. photos: KT Bruce

For furtherinformation aboutCathedral Voices, acopy of theprogramme andspecial rates for OldMembers pleasecontact Kerry Deeley.Phone: 01865 286848or email:cathedralvoices@chch.ox.ac.uk

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For those who ever doubted that life at ChristChurch bears more than a passing resemblance tothe Barchester Chronicles, the sight, earlier thisyear, of an author by the name of Trollope in theCathedral pulpit would have provided plenty offood for thought! The occasion was our annualservice of Candlemas on Sunday 3rd February whenthe Cathedral played host to the Mulberry BushSchool from Standlake, a special needs school forchildren with extreme social, emotional andbehavioural difficulties. Children from the MulberryBush led in the procession at the start of theservice carrying candles to mark the 60thAnniversary of the founding of their remarkableschool, and Joanna Trollope and Douglas Hurd readlessons. The Cathedral looked heavenly and thechoir sang like angels, but it will be the memory ofthose enthralled young people carrying theircandles, lights of the world, that will live longest inthe memory.

Outside, in the cloister, we have beenwitnessing the creation of a new fountain. A giftby Mr Robert Sandell, an old member of theHouse, it was dedicated by the Dean on June 19th,

Cathedral NewsJim Godfrey

Canons’ Verger &Visitors’ Officer

and marks, for visitors to the College, thethreshold of the Cathedral’s sacred space. Thefountain has been designed by the sculptor GaryBreeze to stand on a stone pavement shaped inthe form of a cross-of-Lorraine. At one time astone square stood in this position in the cloister,the foundations, it is thought, of a Tudor belfrybuilt by Cardinal Wolsey in the 1520s. Theseoriginal pieces of stone were discovered when theOxford Archaeological Unit excavated the cloistergarth in the summer of 1985 in an attempt todiscover the true nature of the structure. In theprocess an ancient Saxon burial ground wasunearthed containing bodies which may well dateback as far as the late 8th century. This puts themwithin a generation or so of the traditional datefor the life of St Frideswide, the patron saint ofOxford, whose Saxon Minster (the first churchbuilt in the city) once stood on the site of theCathedral. To such an ancient and significant sitewe now welcome our new fountain, and lookforward to the intriguing prospect of its futureuse for al fresco christenings. The Christ ChurchChronicles? Now there’s an idea Joanna! �

top: The new fountain in theChrist Church Cathedralcloisters. photo: Matt Powerright : A close up of theinscription which is takenfrom Psalm 150, a psalm ofpraise to God. photo: RalphWilliamsonfar right: The foundations ofthe Cathedral cloistersunearthed in 1985. photo: ChrisScullbelow: A line drawing of theoriginal Tudor belfry. drawing: Courtesy of OxfordArchaeology

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whom Pierce Brosnan and Tim Roth are the mostfrequently mentioned.

Recently, there have been further examples of itscreativity and the theatre is now full ofexcitement, some of it so far out as to be waybeyond my reach. Yet the original aim ofsupporting self-determination survives. And theoriginal name also continues with the persistenceof a cardinal’s hat: when we wade through theofficial stuff at the AGM, it bears the solemn title‘Christ Church (Oxford) United Clubs Ltd’.

If you look at the website (www.ovalhouse.com)you will see material on performances, summerschools, exhibitions and youth arts workshops andyou will get something of the many flavours of theplace. What you will see less of are the excitingplans for the future; Oval House may even move toBrixton to continue its work on a larger site.

This piece for Christ Church Matters is not anappeal for money. It aims to give informationwhich may be of interest to current members andold members of the House. It comes, however,with a request of a somewhat different kind.There are a number of members of Christ Churchwho give a little time and energy to beinginvolved in Oval House. If you would like toexplore that possibility, please get in touch withme or indeed with Deborah Bestwick at OvalHouse. Skill at treading the boards is notnecessary…. You will enjoy it. �deborah.bestwick@ovalhouse.com

Notes from the DeaneryChristopher Lewis

Dean

The most

impressive part was

talking to the

young actors... and

discovering what a

difference it makes

to their lives. 9

above: Oval House actors perform Eugène Ionesco’s ‘The Bald Soprano’. photo: Oval House

photo: K.T. Bruce

Christ Church andOval HouseThere we all were, watching an adaptation ofEugène Ionesco’s ‘The Bald Soprano’ which isoutlandish, surreal and therefore hard to do. Theoccasion was part of a Friends’ night at OvalHouse at the end of January and a good largegroup from Christ Church were fed (Jerk Chicken),watered and entertained. Absurdism can only bedone well with aplomb, and was.

The most impressive part was talking to theyoung actors from South London afterwards anddiscovering what a difference it makes to theirlives. That sounds general and something of acliché, but each example is powerful anddifferent.

Oval House was founded by Christ Churchgraduates in the 1930s in order to encourage self-determination among inner-city young people. Inmany ways it had a classic ‘university settlement’style: outward bound and other healthy activitiesfor the people of Kennington. That did goodwork, but what was remarkable was thedevelopment of ideas in the 1960s, when therewas a shift to the dramatic arts with an emphasison wide participation and experiment. Theproject transformed itself and continued toblossom. Oval House has helped innumerablepeople and produced many well-known actors of

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Christopher Butler A tribute from his former students

Looking back it

strikes me now that

we were very

privileged to

regularly get a

whole hour with

Chris, to explore

his brain, even if it

frequently made

mine hurt.Chris Butler was not onlya great tutor, he was, andstill is, a great bloke.Even though 18 years have passed since I firstnervously pushed open the door to his lovelyroom in Tom Quad, many of his observations andcomments stay with me in vivid detail.

Every time I hear Bob Dylan I think of Christelling me that the musician’s lyrics were theclosest thing to great poetry you could find inmusic. But that they could never be classed astruly great because they rhymed.

As a young northern lefty without any of theintellectual building blocks required to supportmy views, he destroyed Marxism for me in about

three minutes of utter brilliance. His damningconclusion, “it’s just so bloody boring”, remains myfinal thought on the matter.

In 1993, with my finals drawing close, I wentto see Chris for a bit of a catch up on some longforgotten subject. Early in the hour we starteddiscussing the mind-body debate, onlyremembering to return to the subject of thetutorial as the bell in Tom Tower chimed for me toleave. He was just too interesting to confine theconversation to that week’s book.

A couple of quick memories. A lovely summerlunch at his family home with my fellow Englishstudents, which made Oxford life seem languidand lovely in a way I thought was long gone. And

Tony Pastor(1990)

Christopher Butler joined Christ Church in 1964 (goodness, I was two), and retired this June. He doesn’t seem to be theretiring sort, being always so engaged in the life of thecollege, the lives of his students, and the lives of books (which often seemedliterally alive in his room, stacked teeteringly high and barely contained inslithering piles). I know that there will be events to formally mention and thankChristopher for forty-four years of his work and that this is just a brief,introductory paragraph to others by his former students. Generations of us havebeen changed immeasurably by Christopher’s intellectual and humangenerosity, his pleasure in people, life, art in all forms but literature inparticular. Tom Quad will feel a lot bigger and barer without his rooms to go to.

Kate Teale(1981)

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arriving nervously at the Dean’s Collections onlyto have Chris say such kind words that I skippeddown to the bar for a celebratory pint.

Looking back it strikes me now that we werevery privileged to regularly get a whole hour withChris, to explore his brain, even if it frequentlymade mine hurt. But more than the intellectualinsight he provided, it’s the fun I remember, andthat great booming laugh that made you bloodypleased to be there with the man.

Enjoy your retirement, Chris, and I feel a pangof sympathy for the future generations ofstudents who shall miss out.

Pipe smoke; the smell offreshly brewed coffee;new books, a slew ofthem every week, piled on a low table – thesewere the essential constituents of ChristopherButler’s rooms in Tom Quad. Visits, up that shortflight of stairs, required your knowing – well inadvance – your stuff: that you’d done your readingand had something to say. Yet Christopher was arelaxed, encyclopaedic teacher, allowing his pupilsto think they knew much more than they did. Helost patience with me only once, when I inventeda pathetic excuse for not having completed anessay on Wuthering Heights. I tried comprehen -sively to make up for this in my last year byworking hard for him on Critical Theory, my

specialist option and a topic Christopher knew hisway round like the rest of us know our ownhomes: but I was an erratic scholar. This did notprevent his offering me, as that year’s Schools’dinner came to an end, a private sentence – justsome simple words – of genuine encouragementabout what I might do in life. Aged 47, I’m stilltrying to follow his suggestion.

Chris Butler’s tutorialswere always a fullsynaesthetic experience.Knowledge (which took the form of vigorousinterrogation) was imparted to the sound of music,the sight of paintings, and, from time to time, thetaste of wine. Each of these – the knowledge, themusic, the paintings, the wine – would in any othercircumstances have been enough to capture one’sfull attention in and of themselves. But here werefireworks – everything happening at once, witheach experience just one element among many ina symphonic whole that left the mind reeling withrenewed curiosity about art and literature. ChrisButler’s tutorials were always a pleasure becausethey were about pleasure. What he really wanted,one felt, was for us to walk out of his rooms afterthree years into the real world and enjoy art – andshare it, as he so passionately and generously did –for the rest of our lives.

It might be a platitudethat I wouldn’t be whereI am now without Chrisand all he’s done for me over the years, but it’snonetheless entirely and utterly true. But more tothe point it would have been far less fun on theway. The sheer joy of it, the delight of ideas,reading, exploration, art... life, really. Right fromthe start, I don’t know how, Chris managed toturn that terrifying wealth of books which layfour-deep on every shelf and every available inchof floor not into a barrier or a challenge but into apromise of pleasure, the sense that life was tooshort when there was so much to discover andenjoy. So thank you, Chris, I’ll be forever in yourdebt. I’m loving it and I owe you.

Before you ask, theanswer is YES!There have beenlamentations in Oxford’s student newspapers thisweek. Tutors, apparently, impose a cruel andunusual punishment. By forced labour, theirundergraduates must produce two essays in thefirst week of term. Indeed. After the LongVacation, doesn’t a chickabiddy thinker need to

James Woodall(1979)

Scarlett BaronSenior Scholar

Sos Eltis(1984)

Vahni Capildeo(1991)

I had no regrets

about staying up all

night to finish my

novice Oxford

essay...I would

have been content

to work straight

through three

nights per week,

if that was the cost

of admittance to

Christopher

Butler’s rooms.

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:15 Page 11

12

spend at least 12.5% of the term settling in – notwriting?

In the autumn of 1991, I had no regrets aboutstaying up all night to finish my novice Oxfordessay, on ‘Some aspects of death in Jane Eyre’. Iwould have been content to work straightthrough three nights per week, if that was thecost of admittance to Christopher Butler’s rooms.For over that threshold, it was clear that literatureis an awfully big adventure.

Now to step back and explain a little. In the Trinidad of the 1970s and 1980s – newly

post-Independence, well pre-Internet – where Igrew up, it was bloody impossible to lay hands ona decent selection of books. Yet I was comparat -ively lucky. On family holidays to print-richterritories, we were able to acquire new readingstock. Carefully we damaged it: bending, staining,signing, stamping: so that the Customs officialschecking suitcases for imported stuff couldparticipate in the fiction that these books werewhat we had taken out of the country with us to,ah, read in those long English summer eveningswhen ice cream stands and the sights of HydePark failed to entertain. My family, too, had beenreaders for generations (spurred on, perhaps, bythe imperial official who registered my Sanskrit-trained great-grandfather as ‘illiterate’). Cousins,often much older, had passed down odd volumes.So my brother and I played Biggles on our Port ofSpain swing set, and I read Daphne du Maurierduring the gothic darkness of hurricane-season,no-electricity downpours. No wonder I had a fit ofweeping on first being taken into Foyles and

seeing that it was possible to have all threevolumes of a trilogy available on one shelf, notjust, say, volume II plus the exercise of inventingone’s own beginning and ending.

Then there were the so-called libraries. In myTrinidadian Preparatory school and Conventschool, these were similar. A hundred years ofdiscards, mostly ungrouped and uncensored, frombetter-off local families, mouldered genteelly, likethe brass-and-termite musical instruments thattended to moulder nearby. So in the same week anine-year-old could take out a set of plotsummaries of the most lurid nineteenth-centuryoperas (yes, make up your own idea of the music)and T.H. White’s Sword in the Stone. Final andmost formidable among these libraries was mygrandfather’s. It occupied a long room on theground floor of his house, past his maid’squarters, parrot cages, lotus pond and cowdungoven. It was windowless, airless, blue-carpeted,ventilated by two ancient air conditioning unitsthat threatened to explode. Woods exotic toTrinidad, carved into lecterns, supported giganticeditions of Sanskrit texts swathed in yards ofsaffron silk. Leather armchairs swallowed thereader. There was a cane sword; a replica skull; theRajput weapon belonging to an ancestor; and, in asafe at the further end of the room, my great-grandmother’s ashes, waiting to be conveyed tothe Ganges when next my grandfather had timefor a ceremonial expedition across the blackwater to India. This library was the original ofthose which V.S. Naipaul, my grandfather’snephew, gave in caricatural form to various of hisarriviste characters. Unlike Naipaul’s characters’collections, here the books were well selected, thepages cut, and the texts annotated. But what ofthe sign my grandfather had placed on the door,to deter borrowers? “BEFORE YOU ASK, THEANSWER IS NO.”

There was a culture shock when I steppedover Christopher Butler’s threshold. It was theshock of familiarity. That smell! Leather, paper, ink,wood, gently warmed by their proximity to eachother, by human handling and breath. That light!The curious, semi-golden darkness that booksseem to give off. I knew where I was. I was amongreading. The pursuit of reading and writing itselfseemed here to have taken physical form. Therewere piles of books, labyrinths of them, sea stacks,coral formations, more organic than warehoused.To enter was almost like stepping into anallegorical palace. Music stirred the air: the realmusic corresponding to my earlier imaginings.

The most difficult thing, perhaps, was actuallyfinding the tutor. In the course of an hour,

The pursuit of

reading and

writing itself

seemed here to have

taken physical

form. There were

piles of books,

labyrinths of them,

sea stacks, coral

formations, more

organic than

warehoused. To

enter was almost

like stepping into

an allegorical

palace.

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:15 Page 12

ExoticsubversionsIn the course of the nineteenth centuryFrance built up a colonial empire secondonly to Britain’s. The literary tradition inwhich it dealt with its colonial ‘Other’ isfrequently understood in terms of EdwardSaid’s description of Orientalism as both aWestern projection and a ‘will to govern’over the Orient. Jennifer Yee’s book arguesthat it is necessary to nuance Said’s visionof exotic literature as a textual assertionof Western dominance. Key literary worksby Chateaubriand, Hugo, Flaubert, and theearly French modernist Victor Segalen, are examined to look at thevariety of ways in which exoticism functions subversivelythroughout the ‘long’ nineteenth century. These works of literatureelude simple categorisation, offering glimpses of colonialresistance, a critique of imperialist hegemony, or a blurring of theboundaries between the Self and the Other. They also reflect anew Romantic sensibility to languages, and explore the presenceof foreign languages in dialogue with French, in ways that upsetviews of literary language as normative and centralizing. Theirpreoccupation with problems of identity, their critique of modes ofpower and knowledge, and their refusal to see language asuniversal and transparent, are all aspects that make them directprecursors of recent postcolonial literature. Exotic Subversions canbe purchased via Oxbow Books at their website:www.oxbowbooks.com �

Jennifer YeeFrench Tutor

Published May 2008

Price £40.00

ISBN: 978-1905981519

Available fromAmazon.co.uk and allgood book shops

Christopher would sink deeper amidst the books.His long form curved as if hammocked by thedarkness of hundreds of essays still unwritten orunmarked, or as if parenthetical to the voice ofthe undergraduate reading the weekly essayaloud. If he had been visible when one enteredthe room, he was sure to disappear. I felt urged towrite as well as possible. I sometimes made upwhat I was reading, departing altogether fromwhat I had written. If only I could make thelistener in the shadows chuckle or snort or object,the great crest of hair might rocket up, catchingthe book-light, and sharp dialogue begin. And if Iwere forced to defend myself or summarize anargument on the spot? Success. The vanishingspell had been reversed.

It is working with Christopher that has left mewith the belief that reading out loud is crucial to agood education. There is no creative discipline liketaking a very deep breath indeed and embarkingon your ill-made paragraph while faced with astack of (oh! so delicately and deeply achieved)Henry James and the proud, half-eaten sandwichatop them. Remember thou art mortal; rememberthou needst much practice in punctuation.

Christopher’s reading lists were wonders toreceive, consisting as they did of many, manysurnames. These were authors of primary texts. Itis a shame if today’s students consider themselvesburdened by the exigencies of their course. What asense of possibility there was in a term withChristopher! His generosity and erudition meantthat he let us write (within reason) on anyone andanything we wished. He was well able to copewith peculiar choices and interdisciplinary artisticinterests, while bracketing us within a sense ofmovement and era. We ourselves, not beingconsidered difficult or odd, did not find it in us toblame our dear dead and living authors. Therewere the very few exceptions: the book, or author,Christopher would absolutely refuse to touch. Thisnever prevented us from writing on these topics:another tutor would be found. Before you ask, theanswer is Yes.

Endless fun and endless adventures, past andfuture composing each other — this is the sensecarried from conversations with Christopher Butler.Let us wish him the continuance of pleasure. �

CHRISTOPHER BUTLER will be guest of honourat this year’s Christ Church Association Dinneron 20 September in Hall. Call or email the Development Office if youwould like a booking form +44 (0)1865 286 598

development.office@chch.ox.ac.uk

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:16 Page 13

14

North American Reunion

above: The Dean welcomes guests to a lunch at theNew York Racquet and Tennis Club on 4th April 2008.

Chris Rocker Deputy Development Director

for Overseas

It was great to hear that the

House was doing well in its

academic accomplishments,

crowned by the nationally

televised achievement of winning

University Challenge in a

convincing win over Sheffield

in the final.

gratitude to major donors. Attendeesranged from the youngest whomatriculated in 2006 to two gentlemenwho matriculated in the 1930’s. The Deangave a brief talk to bring everyone up todate and answered questions from theguests. It was great to hear that theHouse was doing well in its academicaccomplishments, crowned by thenationally televised achievement ofwinning University Challenge in aconvincing win over Sheffield in thefinal. That other pillar of House life, theBoat Club, has also had a good year withstrong results in 2007 Torpids, as well ashaving four members in the 2008University Blue Boat.

The Oxford University North AmericanReunion was held during the weekend ofApril 4th to 6th. Among a myriad oflunches, cocktails, dinners and lectures,which included talks by both the UniversityChancellor and the Vice Chancellor, ChristChurch held its by now traditional twomajor events for old members.

The first of these, made possible bythe kind support of Bill Broadbent, was adelightful lunch in the elegantsurroundings of the Racquet and TennisClub in New York City, which has thedistinction of housing not just one, buttwo real tennis courts. The Dean,Christopher Lewis, hosted the occasionwhich was intended as an expression of

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:16 Page 14

above & right: Young people taking part in theOval House Summer Schools. photos: Oval House

On the Saturday night, AmericanFriends of Christ Church President, PeterPaine, hosted a dinner at the Anglers’ Clubin the Wall Street area. Guests dinedsurrounded by eclectic pieces of fly fishingmemorabilia, ranging from pictures ofsalmon or trout in various stages ofcapture, to fishing rods and trout flies.Attendees from Christ Church includedthe Dean and Mrs. Lewis, David Hine, anda team from the Development Office.Among the 50+ guests, including manyspouses, were various members of theCampaign Board as well as old membersfrom more than one generation who hadnot just attended the House themselves,but whose children were also members.This delightful occasion lasted long intothe evening and was characterized byanimated conversation and the pleasureof meeting old friends and colleagues.

The Development team were able tofeel well satisfied with the weekend.Between the Dean, David Hine andthemselves they visited 35 old membersindividually and came away withcommitments of over $500,000. All of usare very grateful to old members for theirsupport of the Library restoration, theCharles Stuart Studentship and the BlueBoar renovation project. We all lookforward to the next of these reunions, tobe held in two years time. �

Performance al frescoFor those lucky enough to have that sought-after ticket or invitation, strollingthrough the grounds to enjoy a chilled drink under the trees and an enchantingperformance can be a highlight of the summer.

Are you thinking of Glyndebourne? As it happens, the sought-after-ticket in South London is for the annual Oval

House Theatre performance in Kennington Park!Every year we work with 35 or more young people, pushing them to limits they

didn’t know they had, both in skills and imagination, and creating magical,surprising spectacle in-between Brixton and Elephant and Castle.

Using the natural features of the park as our stage and auditorium, audiences inprevious years have been startled by walls that walk and talk, towering andterrifying puppets emerging from the trees, explosions and showers, and charactersflying through the air.

The Summer School is a challenge: the young people, aged 13-17, must attendevery day, all day, for 4 weeks, and they work with a professional team to developtheatre which extends their ideas of what the arts can be. This year, for the firsttime, sections of the performance will be directed by our Trainee Directors – youngpeople who have worked with Oval House as apprentices over the past year to turntheir former experience as participants into professional leadership roles. This is atypical example of how Oval House works within the most disadvantaged areas ofLondon to build skills, community cohesion and confidence amongst young people,skills that will stay with them for life, whatever future they choose for themselves.

This year 4 Grimm Tales will focus on four lesser-known Grimm’s tales – fairytales with a psychological undertow to make you shiver, however warm the evening.

To help (if you would like to sponsor a place for a child to attend, or if yourcompany would like to sponsor the performances) – or just find out more aboutOval House, please contact ValerieBoulet on +44 (0)20 7735 2869 orValerie.boulet@ovalhouse.com �

Deborah BestwickDirector, Oval House

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:17 Page 15

1616

Earlier this year four members of theHouse made history by reaching the finalof University Challenge and cantering tovictory against a strong SheffieldUniversity team. We hear from two of ourstar team members, Charles Markland andSusannah Darby, about the experience oftaking part in the television show andwhat it was like to meet Jeremy Paxmanin the flesh.

Sitting on the traingoing up toManchester for thefirst match, it seemed amazing that onlytwo months earlier Max had approachedme outside the Hall to suggest that I tryout for the University Challenge team.With great rapidity a team had beenfinalised and an audition quizsubmitted, and we had somehowconvinced the producers that we had‘the right stuff’ for national television.Over a lunch in the Granada canteen, wecaught our first glimpse of Mr. Paxmantucking into his cottage pie: tall,imposing, and more greying than on TV.Soon enough we were whisked throughto the studio, with the inevitable frissonfrom seeing your own name on the

Christ Church 220

Sheffield 170

University Challengetriumph

contestant panels. Unlike on TV, however,Jeremy is very affable towards thecontestants, wishing good luck before, andcongratulations or commiserationsafterwards – but less so towards thestudio staff. Unless you make a terriblegaffe, or directly antagonise him, you canevade his stinging barbs. After trouncingHomerton, Cambridge and thenstruggling to triumph over Nottingham,we had four months’ break before the nextfilming. Two days in December at Granadablurred into a single reminiscence offrantic buzzing, muted conferring andapplause, as Warwick, Manchester and,finally, Sheffield came before us. There isno sweeter sound than the gong whenyour team is ahead. A chat in the greenroom with Joan Bakewell, and back on thetrain. Job done – and only three monthsuntil we could share our success witheveryone else!

Our journey toUniversity Challengevictory was an epic,year long saga. It began in the dark daysof Hilary last year. Max sent out an emailinviting anyone wanting to be on theteam to watch the programme in the TV

room. I was “most likely to be onUniversity Challenge” in my schoolleavers’ yearbook, so I decided to try myluck. My lightning-speed identification ofan AE Housmann poem earned me aplace on the team, and our collectiveknowledge of Monty Python andAvogardro’s law earnt us a place on theprogramme.

Everyone asks what Paxman is like inthe flesh. He’s not nearly the ogre heseems; he even deigned to say that he“quite liked” us as a team. It wasfascinating to experience the workings ofa TV studio. The Jeremy Kyle Show isfilmed in the same studios, so the make-up team took great delight in telling usstories about its more colourfulcharacters. We speculated what effectswapping the two Jeremies would have!

The victory took a long time to sinkin, partly because it was filmed a longtime before it was shown, so we had tokeep it secret for months. I didn’t realiseUniversity Challenge was so widelywatched, but people from my neighboursto my dad’s colleagues and rugby team-mates have seen me on the programme. Ifeel immensely privileged to have been apart of such a successful team. �

Charles Markland(2003)

Susannah Darby (2006)

Susannah Darby (2006)Alex Bubb (2005) Charles Markland (2003) Max Kaufman (2005)

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:17 Page 16

17

The restoration, renovation and extension of BlueBoar Quad are as much a challenge as thebuilding project completed by Powell and Moya in1968. The site is highly constrained and, above all,access from Blue Boar Lane is problematic.

Along with access, the other expected ‘a’problem has been archaeology: interestingremains of the medieval city wall have beencarefully catalogued, but the expected delay hadto be borne by the programme. Asbestos wasexpected and a detailed survey carried out toinform scheduling decisions; but the discovery ofasbestos in the northern ‘medieval’ wall came assomething of a surprise. What had been agateway into Blue Boar Yard, before the newbuilding went up, was filled in cleverly to lookindistinguishable from the medieval wall eitherside of it. The technique, when building this typeof wall, is to ensure that the stone façade remainsas vertical as possible. To do this invisible small‘slips’ are used to prop the stones in place. Clearlywhat was to hand when the stonemasons wereat work, were numerous ‘slips’ of asbestos…

The building is Listed II* and has been treatedwith great respect for its architectural distinction.Finding double-glazed window units whichsatisfy the requirements of English Heritage tooktime, but the result is a beautifully detailedprofile with a delicate frame, remarkably similarto the original windows.

The steel and timber structure for the newrooms on the former roof terraces is now in place,as is the massive steel frame of the lecturetheatre; the steels had to be lowered by cranethrough the roof and bedded into ‘floating’footings. Now that the form of the theatre isvisible, and the seating chosen, it isn’t difficult toenvisage what a fine space this will be. Thefixtures and finishings – wood flooring, ‘broken’white emulsion, floor-to-ceiling glazed doors – willadd further fine materials to Powell and Moya’soriginal choices, most notable the light-colouredfossilised Portland stone which clads the building.

The design team has worked hard to re-schedule building work and their trades so as tominimise delays. We may be behind by a fewweeks but there is still time. As far as the budgetgoes, c.£10,000,000, it looks very likely that thiswill not be exceeded. �

Progress Report:

Blue Boar Quad

Stylish seating for new lecture theatreChrist Church has chosen a stylish, hard-wearing chairfor the 130-seat lecture theatre. It has a strong formwhich will provide elegant interest to the minimalismof the modernist aesthetic of the building. Made byRace Furniture, the company has provided similarinstallations for major venues throughout Europeincluding the Royal Opera House, Copenhagen, thePerth Concert Hall, and lecture theatre seating for theLondon School of Economics.

The Christ Church Annual Fund will be asking forindividual sponsorship of the 120 seats in theauditorium, with commemorative plaques to mark thecontribution of each donor. These will be offered aspart of the 2008/09 campaign; but any old membersor friends who would like to register an interest now,can do so by contacting the Development Office (development.office@chch.ox.ac.uk) guaranteeing firstrefusal when the plans are finalised. �

Belinda JackSenior Censor

left & top: Artist’s impressionsof the new lecture theatre andauditorium. above: The work in progressphotos: Ralph Williamson

A few weeks behind schedule but still on budget...

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:18 Page 17

Christ Church through a lens...

left: The Lord Lieutenant ofOxfordshire at the TerritorialArmy Centenary Service heldin Christ Church Cathedral on26 April 2008

right: The 2008 Encaeniaceremonyphotos: KT Bruce

above: Junior and oldmembers at theCommemoration Ball in June.photo: Ralph Williamson

right: Clive Driskill-Smith andStephen Darlington receive astanding ovation followingthe Cathedral Choir'sperformance at St Nicholas’Church, Leipzig in June.photo: KT Bruce

far right: Old membersattend a Gaudy for 1963-66Matriculates also in June2008. photo: Ralph Williamson

left: Christ Church in thesnow – April 2008.

below: The Christ ChurchWomen’s boat at the 2008Eights Week.

right: High Table laid up forthe Gala Banquet – part ofthe Christ Church SpecialInterest Weekend in March2008.photos: KT Bruce

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:19 Page 18

1919

CHRIST CHURCH ASSOCIATION NEWS

EditorialThe subject came up at the Sports supperthat old members are not clear about thedifferent roles of the Alumni &Development Office and the Christ ChurchAssociation, and how each of them canhelp all members of the House. As is sooften the case, communication is key andwe need to work on ours still further.Various suggestions for improvements weremade at the supper. If you have any specificideas, please let us know and we will addthem to the mix.

Following last edition’s feature on oldmembers involved in sport, we asked Tony Pastor(1990), a sports producer for ITV, to give us abehind the scenes insight into the boat race. Readall about it on page 22.

We are always looking for ideas for oldmember events. The Candlelit Christmas eveningat Waddesdon was a good example of how we canpiggy-back on a public event. By holding a privatesupper the event became special to us. If you feelyou could host an event for old members wewould love to hear from you.

As the former co-editor of Christ ChurchMatters, Professor Christopher Butler, retires, itseems fitting to have as our main feature oldmembers involved in art. Not just a pillar of theEnglish faculty, Christopher has been heavilyinvolved with the teaching of Fine Art in college. Inthe feature we hear from four old membersinvolved in art from different perspectives: creatingit; displaying it; studying it; and selling it.

Your chance to say farewell to Christopher willbe at the Association Dinner on 20th September. Ifyou bring along your copy of Christ Church, Oxford;a Portrait of the House you may even get him tosign it before he steps down. And, as you may

have heard me say before, thereare a couple of copies stillavailable to buy from the Alumniand Development Office! Thealumni weekend and theAssociation dinner should begood events and so we hope to

see you there, with or without your copy of theChrist Church Portrait. �

Fiona Holdsworth (1981), Editorfiona.holdsworth@btopenworld.com

ShakespeareJeremy Lemmon (1954) has spent a lifetimeteaching, lecturing, directing and writing onShakespeare; he was one of the group advisingon the design of the reconstructed Globetheatre on London's Bankside; among the never-ending flow of books and articles aboutShakespeare, his new account stands out, notleast for its succinctness. Its 200 pages take thereader through Shakespeare's life, his work, theprofessional, social and political background tohis times and the topography of Tudor Londonand Stratford. In dealing with the lacunae in

Shakespeare's notoriously ill-documented life, theauthor makes well-argued guesses as to what Willand his family might have been up to.

His book illuminates the precariousness of thetheatrical profession in the 16th and 17th centuries,where the livelihoods – in some cases the lives – ofactors and playwrights were at the mercy not only ofthe paying public, but the paranoid Tudor regime. Inview of the continual outbreaks of antipathy fromcity fathers, Puritans and professional rivals,Shakespeare perhaps deserves to be rememberedalmost as much for his ability to survive and leave asubstantial estate to his heirs as for his literarygenius.

Lemmon interweaves the biographical strandwith explanations of how the plays and poetry cameto be written and produced, drawing clearlydocumented inferences as to why Shakespeare mayhave written particular scenes or portrayed individualcharacters in the way he did. Benedick, for instance, inMuch Ado about Nothing is plausibly argued to havebeen written with a certain well-upholstered (butsadly anonymous) actor in mind (today, Simon RussellBeale, perhaps, rather than Nicholas le Prevost wouldget Shakespeare's nod). The Comedy of Errors – short,clever, modelled on Roman comedy – seems to havebeen just the job for a private Christmas performanceat Grays Inn, where the young gentlemen werecelebrating the end of their education, a rowdyoccasion marked by throngs and tumults, crowds andoutrages, dancing and revelling with gentlewomen(sound familiar?).

A chronology of the plays, a time-line of the poet'slife and suggested further reading add to the book'susefulness. Ideal for any thoughtful sixth-former, thebook ought to appeal to readers of any age –although this elderly reviewer would cheerfully lopthe publishers' ears for setting the additionalmarginal notes (covering topics from 'Blank verse' tothe derivation of 'Imogen') in barely legible pink. �

BOO

K REVIEW

Shakespeare, by JeremyLemmon,

published by Haus Publishing,

£9.99

A chronology

of the plays, a

time-line of the

poet's life and

suggested

further reading

add to the

book's

usefulness.

Chris Sladen(1953)

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:19 Page 19

CHRIST CHURCH ASSOCIATION NEWSCHRIST CHURCH ASSOCIATION NEWS

This issue we hear from four old members involved in theart world as they reflect on their time at the House andtheir subsequent careers.RUPERT LEGGE (1969)

In retrospect, reading chemistry was a somewhatbizarre choice for me as it has had little direct bearingon my subsequent career. I followed chemistry with ayear writing a thesis in the philosophy of science – asubject that I was told by my tutor real scientists onlyread in the bath.

While up, I pursued my interest in the arts. Togetherwith Mark Powell-Jones, who is now director of theVictoria and Albert Museum, I persuaded the ArtsCouncil to finance the first ever student-organised eventat the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford. It was calledPOPA at MOMA and featured Pioneers of ParticipatoryArt. It also briefly featured distinguished Fellows of AllSouls bouncing up and down on inflatables.

After Oxford, I qualified as a barrister. I also began towrite. I wrote four novels – one thriller, The Children ofLight about a girl enticed into a religious cult, publishedby Collins, and three social comedies, Fashionable Circles,Playing With Fire, and A Dangerous Age, published byHodder Headline.

My legal training led meinto the art world. Sellersof works of art often geta raw deal in theincreasingly complexinternational art market.Decisions such as whereand when to sell and whether to sell by auction, privatetreaty or though negotiation to a museum can becrucial to the financial success of a sale, yet impartialadvice is hard to come by. The tax position can alsostrongly influence the final result. Our firm, TimothySammons Ltd, works out of London and New York. Ourjob as agents is simply to obtain the best possible dealfor our clients both from the art market and the taxperspective.

It is a joy to be working in an area that really interestsme especially when the art market is going throughsuch a dynamic phase. The art market might be a longway from chemistry, but then Margaret Thatcher alsoread chemistry at Oxford before qualifying as a barrister,and that proved to be a good enough start for her, too.

KATE TEALE (1981)

I knew from the age of eleven that I wanted to be an artistbut, inspired by brilliant English teachers, I came to ChristChurch to study English rather than go to art school.

Christ Church’s role in my becoming an artist was bothpractical and inspirational. Had I had tutors who focusedon dates – or spelling! – I would not have lasted. Bothmy two main tutors, Christopher Butler and Peter Conradwere broadly and passionately interested in the artsbeyond literature, and provided invaluable inspiration.Practically, Dean Eric Heaton, prompted by ChristopherButler, found a grant to help me go to art school afterChrist Church. Christopher’s encouragement has lastedlong beyond my graduation. He is still my best critic, andhis brilliant wife Gillian joined in last February when theyvisited my studio in New York. Christopher’s enthusiasticcommitment to the development of the whole student/person saved me aged 19/20 and has been an inspirationfor my own teaching. Peter Conrad’s intense relationshipwith artists of the past made me understand the vitalcommunication that happens through the arts, as wellas something of what the artist’s life might be like. Whilestudying literature I realized that I wanted to BE theperson making art, or failing with honour in the attempt.

In 1995 I came to New York to do an MFA in Painting(City of New York University, Hunter College), andstayed. Despite rising prices and the migration ofartists out of the centre, New York continues to be aninspirational place to work, with a vast and varied artscene. I am a painter and feel a strong connectionwith British artists such as Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon,Jenny Saville. (It is easier to look at than describe mywork: www.kateteale.net). I exhibit here and aroundthe U.S, and just found out that I am a New YorkFoundation for the Arts Fellow in Painting for 2008!There is more interest in ‘figurative’ work now thanwhen I arrived, with artists like Neo Rauch, LisaYuskavage and John Currin enlivening the scene.Drawing is an important part of what I do. Time spentassisting at Christ Church Picture Gallery also fed thislove. I was able to handle Michelangelo drawings! Iteach drawing part-time to Foundation students atParsons School of Design and Pratt Institute: income,and a great contrast to hours alone in the studio.

It is a joy to be working in an area that

really interests me especially when the

art market is going through such a

dynamic phase.

Then...

...now

Then...

...now

20

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:20 Page 20

21

HELEN DOREY (1982)

When I came up to the House in 1982 to studyModern History I knew that I wanted to work withhistory in some way, probably in a museum. In thosedays (in fact until very recently) Oxford did not offeran under graduate degree in History of Art. However, Iwas able to do a Special Subject in EnglishArchitecture 1660-1720 with the great Sir HowardColvin, who died just a few months ago, and to studyart and society in the early Italian Renaissance.

I had a wonderful time at Oxford and I have neverregretted for a moment my choice of subject, whichgave me a breadth of basic knowledge and a rigour ofapproach which has proved very valuable. I had greatfun and made lifelong friends – despite my initialterror when told by WES Thomas on the telephonethe ‘good news’ that I had won a place followed bythe ‘bad news’ that I would be the only womanamongst the 16 historians in my year! My onlyproblem with the Oxford system came when I visitedthe Careers Service to discuss my future andmentioned ‘museum work’ – to be met with barelysuppressed astonishment that I could imagine thatthey could advise on such a dilettanti profession!Thrown back on my own resources I found a uniqueDiploma course in London, based at the V&A and runby a formidable former student of Sir Anthony Blunt,Erica O’Donnell. Her ‘Study Centre’ course, whichsadly no longer exists, provided an intensive lecture-based training in not just the history of painting,sculpture and architecture but also the decorativearts (furniture, textiles etc.). It is renowned inMuseum circles for having produced many of thesenior Curators & Directors of national institutions.

After completing my post-graduate studies I joined SirJohn Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the homeof one of England’s greatest architects and I think themost evocative and extraordinary of all the nationalcollections – and the supreme example in the world ofthe House-Museum. I tell anxious students asking forcareers advice that I would not have got my job if Ihadn’t had a CSE in Grade I typing but my OxfordSpecial Subject in English Architecture did me nodisservice! I joined the Soane thinking I would stayperhaps a year. More than 22 years later I am still thereand now Deputy Director and Inspectress. Working atthe Soane has given me wonderful opportunities to doresearch, write, travel, project manage complex buildingrestoration projects and learn about the conservation ofworks of art. I have the privilege of working in abuilding full of treasures from Hogarth paintings tomummified cats and I can honestly say that I have

never had a day when I have dreaded the thought ofgoing to work. I still feel very close to the House andChrist Church alumni are always welcome at the Soane(please email me in advance in hdorey@soane.org.uk).

CATHERINE STORY (1987)

When I look back at my time at Oxford, I can’t recognisemyself. I just marvel at how one’s mind and personalitycan develop.

I’d been a shy teenager, obsessed with old films and Post-Impressionism. School had been hard. Artistic brainsdidn’t fit the curriculum and my conservativebackground put academic toil above integrating withmodern life. Christ Church combined with the RuskinSchool of Art seemed the best way to achieve respectand remain safely in the past, while still making pictures.

When I arrived at the Ruskin, all the artists who’d likedmy work had left. It was the 80s, figurative painting wasmostly a joke and the art boom was yet to create ademand for every artistic practice. I wanted to paintlandscapes, but the dominant tutors liked minimalism.With no language skills to defend my work, I hid in theAshmolean and drew the sculptures. Soon I wasadopted by one of the curators, Dr Nicholas Penny.When the Ruskin tutors tried to expel me, he and dearChristopher Butler fought for drawing on my behalf.Stuck in the middle of a political war, I went under.

In retrospect I was asrigid and closed as thetutors. I couldn’t accessreal creativity, as I was too

afraid to look at my experience of life. With my backagainst the wall, I became a reactionary stereotype, aRenaissance romantic. By the second year I could onlysee the beauty of nature. I stayed in college, drawingmoths and watching barn owls, trying to make theperfect picture, one that would show I was goodenough. Nothing ever was, and my work dried up.

As soon as I left I began to learn the value of differentartistic movements, how vertical stripes are as relevantas paintings of shrews. I love going back to Oxford now.Although I’m sad I wasn’t a confident teenager, I feelproud of my survival skills. Christ Church gave me mymost loyal friends, and taught me that nature heals indifficult times. Most importantly, I learnt that romanticnostalgia is a luxury often rooted in paranoia, and nogood for creativity.

Now the real work has begun. Twenty years later I’mback at school, doing my MA at another ancient place,the Royal Academy. It’s going very well. You see fortyyears of dark material is actually a godsend for an artist. www.catherinestory.com �

Then...

...now

I couldn’t access real creativity...I was too

afraid to look at my experience of life.

Then...

...now

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22

On 15th November around 35 old members and theirpartners enjoyed a magical Candlelit Christmasevening at Waddesdon Manor, laid on for us by SimonOffen, the Association Chairman. The house sparkledwith Christmas promise and inside a enchantingarray of ballerinas greeted us. Each room wasdecorated as part of a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale with ballerinas dancing out the tales. Myfavourite was The Little Mermaid, followed by

The Little Matchstick Girl, but the princess on top ofpiles of mattresses in the highest bed you have everseen, remains imprinted on my memory. After thetour of the house we had supper. The food wassuperb, the venue delightful and we spent a happyand relaxed time chatting with other old members. I was instantly in the Christmas mood after thatevening and in fact it was so wonderful that Ireturned with my children the following night. �

“What will you do if one of the boatssinks?” someone asked me, just before thestart of last year’s University Boat Race.

And of the course the honest answerwould have been: “Rejoice.”

After all, nothing grabs the publicimagination like a sinking, provided therescue boats are to hand and injuries areno more serious than a good ducking inthe chilly Thames.

In fact, the truth is we’d much ratherhave a really tight race with a neck andneck finish, but frankly, if that’s notpossible, a grand tear up with clashing inthe white water beyond HammersmithBridge would come a good second.

Planning the Boat Race takes months,part of it taken up with bribing the localcouncils along the river to allow camerasinto advantageous spots.

At more than four miles and 374 yards,the Boat Race course requires the biggest

outside broadcast in the country. It takesfour directors and 37 cameras to take thecrews from Putney to Mortlake in around18 minutes, plus two helicopters and someof the most advanced harsh environmentequipment in the business. However, sinceITV took over the contract in 2005 it nolonger takes miles of cable, thanks to astate of the art digital wireless system.

One of the issues with producing acomplicated annual event is practice.Nobody wants their first go at producingthe event to be the race itself. The solutionis to rehearse the entire show the daybefore, with a couple of decent rowingcrews supplied by London schools.

The night before the race, I talk to bothrace crews in the elegant wood panelledrooms of one of the lovely old BoatHouses near Putney Bridge.

“Our on-board microphones could belive at any point during the race,” I tell the

rowers, “so bear it in mind.”In 2006, a minute or so into the race,

ITV commentator Peter Drury told theviewers it was time to listen in on theOxford crew and more particularly theircox. Our soundman nervously lifted afader.

“Let’s f**k them!” screamed the cox, tothe astonishment of seven million peoplewatching at home. Is that how these welleducated young men speak, the nationwondered collectively? Well, it is on BoatRace day. �Tony Pastor (1990) is a sports producer for ITV. He has produced the Boat Race since 2005.

EVENT

CHRIST CHURCH ASSOCIATION NEWS

Waddesdon Manor – full of Christmas promise...

The Boat Race

Fiona Holdsworth

(1981)

Photos courtesy of B Keen, M Fear, and Waddesdon

Manor

right: The winning Oxford team 2006

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23

The Development and Alumni Office, with thesupport of the Ch. Ch. Association, held a smallgathering of past and present members at the Houseon May 2nd, to discuss the creation of a network ofSports’ Representatives, and more Old Members’Sports clubs. The meeting was held over dinner inthe Friend room and proved extremely useful in manyways.

Jon Carley explained how the Boat Club has developedover the past 15 years. He gave some excellent advice asto what each sport could do to set up a club, toencourage social events and to help present studentsachieve even greater excellence. He explained that nonetwork can be created without that all importantdatabase and how a small committeeof active people is needed to sharethe work of organisation. Theresources and experience of theDevelopment Office needs to beused, with ideas and plans funnelledthrough them. Depth has to be given to the clubthrough a membership composed of many yeargroups. From his experience, small informal events areoften more successful than big ones. And we shouldpiggy back existing occasions, such as Varsity matches,to invite members along for a reunion.

We agreed that the JCR Sports representatives shouldbecome a year representative for their year, just as somany careers representatives do. Each sport thenneeds to create a small committee of dedicatedpeople covering a number of years. The Chairman of

the Association is also looking for a member to join themain Committee to champion all this work.

The question arose as to how we could help thestudents’ sports clubs at Christ Church. Support comesin many guises. Encouragement from the tow path ortouch line is always appreciated. Some might help withcoaching. Others might be able to offer sponsorship fora club, or an individual who, as a blue perhaps, hasexceptional costs to cover. Some might contribute to asporting annual fund, a specific project, piece ofequipment, kit, or even a celebration of a success.

If you are reading this, and are interested in joiningour plans to help Christ Church sport, please contactEmma Sinden with your details, ideas, and what youmight be prepared to do. The Office and theAssociation will start by creating a better sportingdatabase. So if you were the Captain of a Collegeteam why not send Emma your details and helpcontact all your team members? Let us know if youwould like to be on the guiding committee for aparticular sport, or if you would like to be the SportsRep. on the Association Committee?

And please remember that this is as much aboutsocialising as excellence and financial support. Indeed many of you will be pleased to hear that our first new club was christened at the meeting.Nick Holroyd agreed to lead a Wine Club. (A sport?!) It needs a name, and it needs members, but we have already agreed that the first meeting will be this Autumn! Get in touch! �

Sports supperSimon Offen

Christ ChurchAssociationChairman

...this is as much about

socialising as excellence and

financial support.

EVENT

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CHRIST CHURCH ASSOCIATION NEWS

19th – 21st September 2008

We are delighted to invite all our old members andtheir family and friends back to Oxford thisSeptember for the second Oxford AlumniWeekend. This year’s theme is ‘Global Oxford’ andthere will be over 100 individual sessions on offerranging from academic talks, gallery and museumtours, debates, dinners and a special ‘FamilyProgramme’ with activities suitable for children agedfrom six upwards. The full programme of events isavailable to view online atwww.alumniweekend.ox.ac.uk or you may request abrochure on the website if would prefer to have acopy posted to you.

A fee of £60 per person will secure you an AlumniWeekend Pass, which covers most lectures, tours andevents in the programme. The Alumni Weekend Passfee is £50 if you matriculated before 1958 and FREE forguests aged between 6 and 18. Some individualevents may incur an additional charge, which isdetailed on the booking form where applicable. Thepass does not include the separate events takingplace at Christ Church, including the AssociationDinner.

Online booking for the 2008 Alumni Weekend isavailable now and will close on Friday 22nd August.To book you will need your Alumni Card number

(which appears on your Card and on the cover sheetof Oxford Today). If you don’t have an Alumni Card ordon’t know your number, please contact the AlumniOffice on +44 (0)1865 611 610, emailalumnicard@alumni.ox.ac.uk or fill in the online format www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/get_your_card

The Christ Church Association Dinner has beenscheduled for Saturday 20th September to coincidewith the Alumni Weekend and we hope to see a greatnumber of old members in attendance, whether theyare signed up for the Alumni Weekend or not.Christopher Butler will be at the dinner and so it is anideal opportunity for former pupils and those whoknow him to say farewell. Pre-dinner drinks willbe served from 6.30pm and dinner in Hall at 7.15pm.Spouses and guests are most welcome.

The Christ Church Association AGM has also beenscheduled for Saturday 20th September to coincidewith the Alumni Weekend. Details of the time andvenue will be available closer to the day.

Christ Church will have 45 rooms available onSaturday 20th September. Please visit the Alumni &Development pages of the Christ Church website(www.chch.ox.ac.uk) to download a booking form foraccommodation and the Association Dinner or call+44 (0)1865 286 598 if you would like a copy postedto you. �

Christopher

Butler will

be at the

dinner and

so it is an

ideal

opportunity

for former

pupils and

those who

know him to

say farewell.

Global Oxford

EVENT

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:21 Page 24

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

and we hope to see a great number ofold members in attendance. Spousesand guests are most welcome toaccompany old members. A bookingform is available at www.chch.ox.ac.ukon the Special Events page in theAlumni & Development section of thewebsite. Parking and accommodationare available but please note that wecan only offer rooms on Saturday 20thSeptember. The Christ ChurchAssociation AGM will take place inLecture Room 2 at 3pm.

Contact: Emma Sinden, AlumniRelations Officer +44 (0)1865 286 598emma.sinden@chch.ox.ac.uk

30 SeptemberRUGBY GAUDYChrist Church

Members of the current Christ ChurchRFC invite all former players back toChrist Church for a splendid fourcourse meal in Hall followed by drinksin the Buttery until midnight. Abooking form is included with thisedition of Christ Church Matters. Thedress code is black tie and overnightaccommodation is available.

Contact: Emma Sinden, AlumniRelations Officer +44 (0)1865 286 598emma.sinden@chch.ox.ac.uk

OCTOBER 2008

3 October 2008GAUDY (1991-1993 MATRICULATES)

Christ Church

Contact: Margaret Heffron, Steward’sSecretary +44 (0)1865 286 580margaret.heffron@chch.ox.ac.uk

11 OctoberCHORAL WORKSHOP & CONCERTOrganised by Christ Church CathedralSchool Education TrustWorkshop 2-4pm, Concert 7.30pmChrist Church Cathedral

This year the works to be rehearsedand performed are three HandelCoronation Anthems – Zadok the Priest,My heart is Inditing, The King shallRejoice, and the Foundling HospitalAnthem. The programme will alsoinclude a Handel organ concerto to beperformed by Clive Driskill-Smith.

Christ Church Alumni and their familiesare welcome to join the Singers (whowill include former choristers and theirparents, Choral Scholars, AcademicalClerks). Music will be provided. Or comealong as audience. Charges: Singers £15 (Students &Children under 13 £6). Optional pre-Workshop Lunch in Hall £10. Audiencetickets £15 (£12 if pre-booked. Students& Children under 13 £6).

Contact: Gordon Hughes, Brick KilnCottage, Chevington Road, Horringer,BURY ST. EDMUNDS Suffolk IP29 5SW

+44 (0)1284 735 933gordonhughes@btconnect.com ORRichard Lane, 3 King’s Farm Avenue,RICHMOND Surrey TW10 5AE

+44 (0)20 8287 5038richardlane@blueyonder.co.uk

NOVEMBER 2008

Tbc November 2008CHRIST CHURCH ASSOCIATION CITYEVENTLondon

The Association Committee isarranging an autumn event for oldmembers who work in the City.

Contact: Emma Sinden, AlumniRelations Officer +44 (0)1865 286 325emma.sinden@chch.ox.ac.uk

6 November 2008YEAR REPRESENTATIVES’ DINNERLondon

The annual meeting and dinner forChrist Church Year Representativeswill be held in London this year.

Contact: Emma Sinden, AlumniRelations Officer +44 (0)1865 286 325emma.sinden@chch.ox.ac.uk

14 November 2008NORTHERN DINNERTBC

A social event for old members basedin the North of England.

Contact: Emma Sinden, AlumniRelations Officer +44 (0)1865 286 325development.office@chch.ox.ac.uk

For news and more information about events, please visit our website www.chch.ox.ac.uk

JULY 2008

1 July – 26 OctoberCHRIST CHURCH PICTURE GALLERY:TREASURED DRAWINGS – CHRISTCHURCH CURATORS REMINISCEChrist Church

The care, knowledge and enthusiasmfor the collection and its new buildingby previous and current curators haveplayed a major part in establishingChrist Church Picture Gallery. Thisexhibition will show some of themajor drawings of the collection seenthrough their eyes. Theaccompanying catalogue will also givea personal and interesting view of thedevelopment of the Picture Galleryover the last four decades.

Opening times: Monday to Saturday10:30am – 1pm and 2pm – 4:30pm;Sunday 2pm – 4:30pm.

Contact: Picture Gallery +44 (0)1865276 172 picturegallery@chch.ox.ac.uk

SEPTEMBER 2008

10 – 14 SeptemberCATHEDRAL VOICES ACROSS HALF AMILLENIUMChrist Church

Join an exciting journey through halfa millennium of English churchmusic! This event will appeal to theinformed enthusiast and amateurmusic lover alike, and to all who wishto learn more about an intriguingnational musical heritage. Specialrates are being offered to oldmembers of the House.

Contact: Kerry Deeley, Conference andEvents Assistant, +44 (0)1865 286 848cathedralvoices@chch.ox.ac.uk

19 – 21 SeptemberGLOBAL OXFORD: OXFORD ALUMNI WEEKENDOxford

We are delighted to invite all our oldmembers and their family and friendsback to Oxford this September for thesecond Oxford Alumni Weekend. Thisyear’s theme is ‘Global Oxford’ andthere will be over 100 individualsessions on offer ranging fromacademic talks, gallery and museumtours, debates, dinners and a special‘Family Programme’ with activitiessuitable for children aged from sixupwards. The full programme ofevents is available to view online atwww.alumniweekend.ox.ac.uk or youmay request a brochure on thewebsite if would prefer to have a copyposted to you.

Contact: Oxford Alumni Office+44 (0)1865 611 610

20 September CHRIST CHURCH ASSOCIATIONDINNER AND AGMChrist Church

The Christ Church Association Dinnerhas been scheduled to coincide withthe Alumni Weekend again this year

MARCH 2009

14 March 2009FAMILY PROGRAMME LUNCHChrist Church

Luncheon in Hall for parents of allcurrent under-graduates.

Contact: Emma Sinden, AlumniRelations Officer +44 (0)1865 286 325emma.sinden@chch.ox.ac.uk

26 – 29 March 2009SPECIAL INTEREST WEEKENDChrist Church

Each Spring Christ Church holds aSpecial Interest Weekend, open to all,with a choice of themes. As well assetting standards of soundscholarship, these programmes aredesigned to be readily accessible tothe enquiring visitor wishing todiscover more on a topic of current orhistoric interest. The programmes areled by speakers of distinction in theirfields, including Oxford Tutors.Participants will also experience facetsof Christ Church not normally open tothe day visitor. Guests will stay incollege rooms, and numbers attendingthe Weekends are limited to preservethe friendly and convivial atmospherewhich participants enjoy. Theweekend concludes with a galabanquet in Hall. Special discountedrates will be offered to old members.

Contact: The Steward’s Office +44 (0)1865 286 848specialinterest@chch.ox.ac.uk

Did you know there is a Christ Church Lodge?It’s called Aedes Christi, was founded in 1989 and draws its members entirely fromthose who have matriculated at the House. We meet and dine four times a year –thrice in London (2 minutes from Bank tube station) and once in Oxford (dining atthe House). If you have heard alarming stories of secrecy, oaths or corruptpractices within Masonry, forget them, for they are no part of English Masonry,which probably started during the Civil War to bring together in a safeenvironment old friends who had been separated by the War. Secret passwordswere used to make them safe and discussion of religion or politics was banned.Our meetings take a little time enacting our innocent ceremonies before we dinetogether. Our aim is to enjoy the company and conversation and to collect almsfor charities, especially those connected with the House. We meet after work –normally 6.20 pm – and we finish by 10 pm. We are effectively a dining club formembers of the House, and we enjoy ourselves particularly because of our wideranges of occupations and ages. If you are already a Mason come and join; if youare not a Mason let us make you one.

Please make all expressions of interest to the Secretary, Richard Bates, 24 Bedfordbury, London WC2N 4BN – email: secretary@aedeschristi.org. Further information can be found at www.aedeschristi.org

CCM 21 (f):Layout 1 26/2/09 12:22 Page 27

Development and Alumni OfficeChrist Church

Oxford OX1 1DP

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1865 286325

Fax: +44 (0)1865 286587

Email: development.office@chch.ox.ac.uk

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