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The Oxford Handbook 1981
Just a few highlights from the Handbook of 25 years ago.
Christ Church (or "The House") is described as a "frightfully good college, full of very solid chaps"... The upper class twit image is a popular myth which has been exploded.
Corpus has a cosy and sometimes eccentric atmosphere.
Exeter College - a small compact college, architecturally dominated by its Chapel, the only one with a its spire higher than the tower of the lodge gate. Why? basically because of an architectural cock-up.
Hertford - the College Bar and a Space Invarders machine are probably the most used facilities.
Non-political and intimate, Lincoln has moved away from its stereotype as adrinking college. College life is ruled by a despotic but benign Governing Body, who stubbornly refuse the JCR access to minutes and agendas of its meetings.
LMH is situated in a particularly beautiful part of Oxford, but its postition outside Central Oxford, and the dark streets around the college have,on and off, attracted a range of sexual offenders.
Because of its low position on the Norrington Table, the Pembroke Governing Body seem intent on attacking students' social life - all parties must end by 11.30pm, students have keys to let themselves in but not out after midnight... the JCR is described as a "superb example of genteel shabbiness", with its decaying furniture and worn carpet.
Queens - One of the few colleges where the dulcet tones of the home counties are in a minority so beware of insulting the Yorkshire Post or Geoffrey Boycott.
St Anne's - the JCR hope to be able to continue its highly sucessful ultra cheap discos (temporarily banned).
Catz is no longer, and perhaps never has been, full of insular students ridden with angst caused by their very presence at Oxford. The buildings are new and create an unfavourable first impression, but gradually one grows to quite appreciate the genius of the architectural eccentricity.
St Hugh's - if you think you've come to a girls boarding school, forget it.
St John's is apathetically right wing in outlook so those of its number who seek to change the world have to be prepared to do it in a fairly subtle manner. The JCR is active if only in improving [the facilities], most recently by installing more electronic games per head of population than anywhere in Oxford!
Somerville - overnight guests are allowed [imagine NOT being allowed overnight guests!]
For better or worse, Trinity is the breeding ground of the Bernadistas, the new OUSA regime. It has a fairly high public school intake, and although thisis gradually changing, in still contains small groups of exceptionally priviledged people.
Being a very academic college it is relatively free from the old-world public school atmosphere, while, on the other hand, Univ students are worked hard and tend to lack the energy to involve themselves in university-wide activities.
Wadham is the best situated college in Oxford, right next to and above the Kings Arms.
I'm pretty sure some of the entries were written by students at those colleges (like Wadham's). More later, and some scathing comments on local pubs...
Christ Church (or "The House") is described as a "frightfully good college, full of very solid chaps"... The upper class twit image is a popular myth which has been exploded.
Corpus has a cosy and sometimes eccentric atmosphere.
Exeter College - a small compact college, architecturally dominated by its Chapel, the only one with a its spire higher than the tower of the lodge gate. Why? basically because of an architectural cock-up.
Hertford - the College Bar and a Space Invarders machine are probably the most used facilities.
Non-political and intimate, Lincoln has moved away from its stereotype as adrinking college. College life is ruled by a despotic but benign Governing Body, who stubbornly refuse the JCR access to minutes and agendas of its meetings.
LMH is situated in a particularly beautiful part of Oxford, but its postition outside Central Oxford, and the dark streets around the college have,on and off, attracted a range of sexual offenders.
Because of its low position on the Norrington Table, the Pembroke Governing Body seem intent on attacking students' social life - all parties must end by 11.30pm, students have keys to let themselves in but not out after midnight... the JCR is described as a "superb example of genteel shabbiness", with its decaying furniture and worn carpet.
Queens - One of the few colleges where the dulcet tones of the home counties are in a minority so beware of insulting the Yorkshire Post or Geoffrey Boycott.
St Anne's - the JCR hope to be able to continue its highly sucessful ultra cheap discos (temporarily banned).
Catz is no longer, and perhaps never has been, full of insular students ridden with angst caused by their very presence at Oxford. The buildings are new and create an unfavourable first impression, but gradually one grows to quite appreciate the genius of the architectural eccentricity.
St Hugh's - if you think you've come to a girls boarding school, forget it.
St John's is apathetically right wing in outlook so those of its number who seek to change the world have to be prepared to do it in a fairly subtle manner. The JCR is active if only in improving [the facilities], most recently by installing more electronic games per head of population than anywhere in Oxford!
Somerville - overnight guests are allowed [imagine NOT being allowed overnight guests!]
For better or worse, Trinity is the breeding ground of the Bernadistas, the new OUSA regime. It has a fairly high public school intake, and although thisis gradually changing, in still contains small groups of exceptionally priviledged people.
Being a very academic college it is relatively free from the old-world public school atmosphere, while, on the other hand, Univ students are worked hard and tend to lack the energy to involve themselves in university-wide activities.
Wadham is the best situated college in Oxford, right next to and above the Kings Arms.
I'm pretty sure some of the entries were written by students at those colleges (like Wadham's). More later, and some scathing comments on local pubs...
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These are great 
Is there anything about merton?
Is there anything about merton?Some pub highlights (or lowlights...), again from 1981.
Cape of Good Hope - All in all a cross between a space age kitchen and an amusement arcade.
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Corn Dolly - A rather hostile townie pub, great if you're a masochist.
Dewdrop - worth visiting if you like superbly attractive women.
King's Arms [Wadham's pub, effectively] - We consider the bar staff the most unpleasent we have ever met. The back bar is full of gays and drunken plebs and the front bar defies description in its unpleasent mix of ultra poseurs. Despite being one of "the" Oxford pubs, it is not even worth the walk from Wadham.
Lamb and Flag - the beer is a good substitute for sticking your fingers down your throat. Always crowded, seedy and unpleasent.
Mitre Bar - Plastic, boring and full of foreigners. Great if you like morgues.
Monk's Retreat - Serves revolting beer and its ever-present folk-singers tend to sound like a pack of rabid coyotes.
Nag's Head - Odd is the word for this pub. Try once.
Oranges and Lemons - If you want to drink safely here take a sub-machine gun and a squad of SAS men.
Cape of Good Hope - All in all a cross between a space age kitchen and an amusement arcade.
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Corn Dolly - A rather hostile townie pub, great if you're a masochist.
Dewdrop - worth visiting if you like superbly attractive women.
King's Arms [Wadham's pub, effectively] - We consider the bar staff the most unpleasent we have ever met. The back bar is full of gays and drunken plebs and the front bar defies description in its unpleasent mix of ultra poseurs. Despite being one of "the" Oxford pubs, it is not even worth the walk from Wadham.
Lamb and Flag - the beer is a good substitute for sticking your fingers down your throat. Always crowded, seedy and unpleasent.
Mitre Bar - Plastic, boring and full of foreigners. Great if you like morgues.
Monk's Retreat - Serves revolting beer and its ever-present folk-singers tend to sound like a pack of rabid coyotes.
Nag's Head - Odd is the word for this pub. Try once.
Oranges and Lemons - If you want to drink safely here take a sub-machine gun and a squad of SAS men.
Athena
Some pub highlights (or lowlights...), again from 1981.
Cape of Good Hope - All in all a cross between a space age kitchen and an amusement arcade.
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Corn Dolly - A rather hostile townie pub, great if you're a masochist.
Dewdrop - worth visiting if you like superbly attractive women.
King's Arms [Wadham's pub, effectively] - We consider the bar staff the most unpleasent we have ever met. The back bar is full of gays and drunken plebs and the front bar defies description in its unpleasent mix of ultra poseurs. Despite being one of "the" Oxford pubs, it is not even worth the walk from Wadham.
Lamb and Flag - the beer is a good substitute for sticking your fingers down your throat. Always crowded, seedy and unpleasent.
Mitre Bar - Plastic, boring and full of foreigners. Great if you like morgues.
Monk's Retreat - Serves revolting beer and its ever-present folk-singers tend to sound like a pack of rabid coyotes.
Nag's Head - Odd is the word for this pub. Try once.
Oranges and Lemons - If you want to drink safely here take a sub-machine gun and a squad of SAS men.
Cape of Good Hope - All in all a cross between a space age kitchen and an amusement arcade.
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Corn Dolly - A rather hostile townie pub, great if you're a masochist.
Dewdrop - worth visiting if you like superbly attractive women.
King's Arms [Wadham's pub, effectively] - We consider the bar staff the most unpleasent we have ever met. The back bar is full of gays and drunken plebs and the front bar defies description in its unpleasent mix of ultra poseurs. Despite being one of "the" Oxford pubs, it is not even worth the walk from Wadham.
Lamb and Flag - the beer is a good substitute for sticking your fingers down your throat. Always crowded, seedy and unpleasent.
Mitre Bar - Plastic, boring and full of foreigners. Great if you like morgues.
Monk's Retreat - Serves revolting beer and its ever-present folk-singers tend to sound like a pack of rabid coyotes.
Nag's Head - Odd is the word for this pub. Try once.
Oranges and Lemons - If you want to drink safely here take a sub-machine gun and a squad of SAS men.
HOPE it's changed a bit! The Turl is a wicked pub, as is the Mitre, so I don't know what they were on about! People from the eighties had no sense anyway, they were too high.
Athena
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Yay, Northern chemists, my mum was talking about those the other day. Apparently there were a few in her college when she was there and they would go to each others rooms and talk about trains. Very nice people though apparently.
Popa Dom
Yay, Northern chemists, my mum was talking about those the other day. Apparently there were a few in her college when she was there and they would go to each others rooms and talk about trains. Very nice people though apparently.
At Wadham, a northern chemist was easily indentifiable because they all carried their books in plastic bags.
And Sam - it's all taken from my mum's 1981 Oxford Handbook (produced by the OUSA). I'll scan some of the pictures from it later
Athena
Some pub highlights (or lowlights...), again from 1981.
Cape of Good Hope - All in all a cross between a space age kitchen and an amusement arcade.
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Corn Dolly - A rather hostile townie pub, great if you're a masochist.
Dewdrop - worth visiting if you like superbly attractive women.
King's Arms [Wadham's pub, effectively] - We consider the bar staff the most unpleasent we have ever met. The back bar is full of gays and drunken plebs and the front bar defies description in its unpleasent mix of ultra poseurs. Despite being one of "the" Oxford pubs, it is not even worth the walk from Wadham.
Lamb and Flag - the beer is a good substitute for sticking your fingers down your throat. Always crowded, seedy and unpleasent.
Mitre Bar - Plastic, boring and full of foreigners. Great if you like morgues.
Monk's Retreat - Serves revolting beer and its ever-present folk-singers tend to sound like a pack of rabid coyotes.
Nag's Head - Odd is the word for this pub. Try once.
Oranges and Lemons - If you want to drink safely here take a sub-machine gun and a squad of SAS men.
Cape of Good Hope - All in all a cross between a space age kitchen and an amusement arcade.
Coash and Horses - A haven for northern chemists [do northern chemists still exist?]
Corn Dolly - A rather hostile townie pub, great if you're a masochist.
Dewdrop - worth visiting if you like superbly attractive women.
King's Arms [Wadham's pub, effectively] - We consider the bar staff the most unpleasent we have ever met. The back bar is full of gays and drunken plebs and the front bar defies description in its unpleasent mix of ultra poseurs. Despite being one of "the" Oxford pubs, it is not even worth the walk from Wadham.
Lamb and Flag - the beer is a good substitute for sticking your fingers down your throat. Always crowded, seedy and unpleasent.
Mitre Bar - Plastic, boring and full of foreigners. Great if you like morgues.
Monk's Retreat - Serves revolting beer and its ever-present folk-singers tend to sound like a pack of rabid coyotes.
Nag's Head - Odd is the word for this pub. Try once.
Oranges and Lemons - If you want to drink safely here take a sub-machine gun and a squad of SAS men.
I think about half of those pubs have either closed or changed their names since then, which is sad. However what it says about the KA and the Mitre is still absolutely true!
Alexander
I think about half of those pubs have either closed or changed their names since then, which is sad. However what it says about the KA and the Mitre is still absolutely true!
There's one about the Chequers being full of townies and really unwelcoming, and that's was exactly how it was a few years ago!
I like the way some things just don't change
Duke of Edinburgh - If you like to drink to the accompaniment of countless noisy electronic machines, this is the pub for you.
Eagle and Child - Certainly not the place whereTolkein got his inspiration.
Eagle Tavern - Take a novel to read whilst waiting for your drink.
Folly - Possibly the worst pint of Wadsworths you could ever taste. On the whole the pub is injection mouldedand is totally devoided of any atmosphere.
Half Moon - Small pokey and full of Irish drunks [glad I didn't write this!]
Is there anything about the PPHs?
No scathing comment about Hilda's? Or do I speak too soon?
Magdalen?? They must have something about Magdalen!
To all above - I have only posted the interesting segments. There's no point writing that Teddy hall did well in last year's Torpids, or that Magdalen's accomodation is cold, because this is 25 years ago.
Jen, at least LMH (and maybe a few more) colleges were single sex (male as well) at this point - Hilda's wasn't interesting.
Postscript - don't make your college choice based on these out-of-date and highly biased vignettes! And no, the PPH entries only say when they were founded.
Dan - wait til I scan the photos of the editors! Porn star moustaches abound.
Jen, at least LMH (and maybe a few more) colleges were single sex (male as well) at this point - Hilda's wasn't interesting.
Postscript - don't make your college choice based on these out-of-date and highly biased vignettes! And no, the PPH entries only say when they were founded.
Dan - wait til I scan the photos of the editors! Porn star moustaches abound.
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- Urgent survey participation
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- Driving without MOT
- Degree Classification 2:2 to a 2:1
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