David Booth, Judith Ledeboer, John Pinckheard (1964)
The Waynflete Building on St Clements was built in 1964 to provide accommodation for the students of Magdalen College, located on the other side of the River Cherwell. The building is named after William Waynflete, who founded Magdalen in 1458.
On the opposite side of The Plain roundabout sits Magdalen College School’s “Big School” building by the same architects; and perhaps the two have kept watch over each other during the last half century. The School was originally founded to educate scholars to attend the College; nowadays, MCS provides choristers for Magdalen College’s choir.
In any case, the silent relationship between these two buildings will soon come to a permanent end, as the college intends to demolish the Waynflete Building and redevelop the site. Planning permission for the new Waynflete Project was granted in April 2025 – details can be found on the college website here with a presentation of the new plans here.
A brief history of the 1964 Waynflete Building can be found on the college website here.
Address: Waynflete Building, The Plain, Oxford OX4 1DN
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