Photo: © Andrew Dunn · CC BY-SA 2.0
Central-N · Founded 1428
Magdalene College
Keeper of Samuel Pepys's 3,000-volume library in his own bookcases, set in mellow brick courts beside Magdalene Bridge, and famous for dining by candlelight in its unelectrified Hall.
The college
A closer
look.
Central-n — Magdalene Street
Founded 1428. Originating in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel for student-monks of Crowland Abbey, later known as Buckingham College, it was refounded in 1542 by Thomas, Lord Audley as the College of St Mary Magdalene after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Mellow medieval and Tudor brick courts face Magdalene Street beside the river, with the 17th-century Pepys Building holding Samuel Pepys's library in his original bookcases, and Níall McLaughlin's New Library, winner of the 2022 Stirling Prize, marking the newest era.
On a visit
Don’t miss.
- 01First Court's Tudor brickwork
- 02The 17th-century Pepys Building
- 03The Chapel
- 04The Stirling Prize-winning New Library
- 05The view from Magdalene Bridge
Connected to
Notable
names.
- Samuel Pepys
- C. S. Lewis
- Charles Kingsley
- George Mallory
- A. C. Benson
- Rowan Williams (former Master)
Before you go
Visiting Magdalene College
Visitors are welcome year-round except from mid-April to mid-June during exams, checking in at the Porters' Lodge on arrival, and the Chapel is open through the day for quiet reflection. The Pepys Library is closed to visitors until 2027 for refurbishment of its Grade I listed building.
Opening hours, admission and access change often — check the official site before you travel.
- Founded
- 1428
- Area
- Central-n — Magdalene Street
- Type
- College
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