Magdalen College’s Tower will undergo urgent repairs after an inspection last week by the Local Building Control Authority (LBCA) uncovered “severe structural instability”. As a result, the centuries-old May Day tradition, in which Magdalen Choir sing from the top of the tower at 6am, will not go ahead for the first time since World War II.
Several replacement locations are being considered by the college, which has opened a period of student consultation for input. Cherwell has obtained documents that detail three alternatives currently under consideration: the Radcliffe Camera, the Merton Tower, and the Carfax Tower. The college is also consulting with Oxford City Council on which location is most feasible for traffic control.
The Magdalen Tower renovations are set to take place over the next six weeks, during which time the 44-metre-tall structure built in 1509 – also known as ‘The Great Tower’ – will be closed to all human traffic.
The main risk identified by the LBCA is severe cracking in the limestone caused by unprecedented rainfall over the past five years. This defect, an LBCA spokesperson stated, “poses a significant risk of partial collapse or falling debris. If left unaddressed, falling masonry presents a significant hazard to the public, especially given the tower’s prominent location and foot traffic”.
A tenor in Magdalen Choir told Cherwell: “I was delighted by the news at first because of my fear of heights: over the years I’ve learned to sing at the event despite it, but I’d be much happier singing on the ground. I heard they have plans to move us to a different building, though. Hopefully it’s not as tall”. The singer asked to remain anonymous.
May Day celebrates the Celtic festival of Beltane. Oxford’s tradition – where the Magdalen College choir sings Hymnus Eucharisticus from atop the Tower at 6am – traces back to documents from as early as 1674, according to the Museum of Oxford. Last year, 14,000 people gathered in the area for the May Day celebrations.
The tradition is seldom interrupted. The last time Magdalen Choir did not sing was 1943, after over half of the choir left to join the war effort. Prior to that, the choir refrained from singing in May 1901 to honor the passing of Queen Victoria, a former patron of the college.
An inside source told Cherwell: “We regret the break in such a time-honoured tradition. However, our priority is the safety of the choir and of all personnel involved. We are working hard to draft an alternative plan with input from all stakeholders”.
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