Oxford Open Doors 2024 at St John's

Mark Bedingham Seminar Room

Saturday, 12.00 pm. Michael Riordan, College Archivist. 'The Treasures of the Archive'

St. John’s has had an archive since its foundation in 1555, though some of the College's records date as far back as the twelfth century. The Archive contains a wide variety of items, from deeds to correspondence, maps to photographs, account books to registers. In this talk, Mike Riordan, the College’s Archivist, will select a handful of the most significant, attractive and interesting items from the Archive to display and discuss.

Saturday, 2.00 pm. Professor Lady Sue Black, College President. 'Unearthed: The Mystery Beneath the Quad'

In 2008, when excavating the foundations for Kendrew Quadrangle at St John’s, we rather unexpectedly uncovered a mass grave. In this lecture, Professor Lady Sue Black, President of St John's, will follow the story of one of the skeletons and rebuild their life and death to reveal the most unbelievable of modern-day coincidences. Using the sciences of forensic anthropology, stable isotope analysis and facial reconstruction we will show that, no matter how long dead, the stories of our life are written in our bones and - with a little bit of gentle persuasion - they can reveal a remarkable record of a life lived over a thousand years ago.

Saturday, 3.00 pm. Professor Maggie Snowling, 'Dyslexia and Language: Myths and Reality'

All literate societies assume that citizens will learn to read and write - yet dyslexia is a global issue. Low levels of literacy reduce the economic productivity of young people by limiting their career options and ultimately reducing adult mental capital and well-being. It is surprising therefore that not everyone believes that dyslexia is a useful concept. In this talk I will outline the history of dyslexia and how it achieved recognition before describing current research on its nature and characteristics. Dyslexia is a disorder of the language faculty and interventions are required at the foundations of literacy to break a downward spiral of poor literacy, low educational attainment and declining levels of self-esteem.

Sunday, 3.00 pm. Professor Lady Sue Black, College President. 'What Lies in the St John's Crypt?'

The chapel of St John’s was rededicated to Saint John the Baptist in 1557 and, late in the 17th century, a small mortuary chapel was added to the north of the chancel. It was built by the Revd Richard Baylie and it carries his name and is home to his rather resplendent tomb where he is seen reclining on a stack of books. The Revd Baylie was twice President of the College, twice Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Archdeacon of Nottingham, and Dean of Salisbury Cathedral. He was responsible for building the Baylie Chapel and under the carpet in the north-west corner is a very well concealed stone stairway that leads down to a crypt. In this presentation Professor Lady Sue Black, President of St John's, will look at the history of the crypt and its contents.

We anticipate that these talks will be popular and recommend pre-booking tickets.

Garden Quad Reception Room

Laudian Vestments

A display of the College’s remarkable collection of late medieval liturgical vestments and embroidery.

College Hall

Saturday, 11.00 am. Tour of the Portraits in Hall

Find out about the people in the portraits in St John's Hall with Dr Georgy Kantor, Keeper of Pictures. Please register in advance.

Front Quadrangle

Saturday, 1.00 pm. The Architectural History of St John's

Professor William Whyte is Professor of Social and Architectural History and Tutorial Fellow in History at St John's. Join him for a tour of the College, a history of its buildings, and a discussion of the fascinating characters who have helped establish St John's as one of Oxford's largest colleges. This tour will be limited to 40 guests. To guarantee a place, please register in advance.

St John's Gardens

Saturday and Sunday, 11.15 am and 12.15 pm. Specialist tours of the gardens

Learn about the history of St John’s extensive gardens through analysis of the designed landscape and its collection of trees. Join Michael and Beverley Lear (specialists in the conservation of plant collections in heritage parks and gardens) for a tour of the gardens to discover the wide range of tree species and learn about their research which peels back the layers of history through their combined study of the archives and practical ageing of trees based on understanding growth rates. Please register in advance.

St John's Library and Study Centre

Saturday and Sunday, 12 – 3.30pm. Explore the Library

Join current St John's students for a tour of the award-winning Library and Study Centre and to learn more about the College's collection of manuscripts, early printed books and remarkable ephemera. Tours will be limited to 15 guests but there is no need to register in advance.

St John's Chapel

Sunday, 2.00 pm. Music in St John's

An introduction to music in St John’s Chapel with David Bannister, Choir Director, followed by a short demonstration of the organ created for St John’s by Bernard Aubertin in 2008 with some solo pieces. You can register in advance for this talk and performance.

We offer a selection of self-guided tours around College. There are tours of the quads and gardens and for children there is a 'Find the Lambs Treasure Hunt' – with prizes!

'Get Fed Coffee’ will be serving hot and cold drinks from their tuk-tuk in North Quad from 10.00 am – 5.00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Visit Tim and his team of baristas to enjoy a fresh brew and learn more about the ‘Get Fed’ enterprise.

(Payment by Card Only)

Afternoon tea will be served in Hall on Sunday afternoon. Coffee, tea, fruit juice, and a selection of cakes will be served in two sittings, starting at 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm. Pre-booking is essential to reserve your spot and to ensure any dietary requirements can be catered for.