Issue 9 | Spring 2009
A Note
from the
Principal
Welcome to the new issue of the Brazen
Notes. As you will see we are well
into the celebrations associated with
the Quincentenary and have had an
excellent book launch; Tanner lectures
which were first-rate, dealing with the
global issues of the 21st Century; and a
celebration of sport at Lords’. By now you
will all know the programme and we are
looking forward to seeing many of you at
future events, particularly in September.
These events have been very popular and
we are very grateful to alumni who have
been so kind as to accept alternatives
allowing us to accommodate as many
people as possible.
These good and exciting events are all
set against the background of the current
economic climate and the difficulties
which we are all going to experience in this
country and around the world. In the UK
the support for education may well be more
muted in future years as the government
struggles to balance its finances. However,
we clearly intend to carry on providing the
very best education and opportunities for
all our undergraduates and graduates, in
an environment in which they can really
enjoy their college and university careers.
500 Not Out
The College’s Quincentenary celebrations
rolled on with a champagne reception on
19 March at the ‘Home of Cricket’, Lord’s.
The famous ground is an iconic and beautiful
international cricket venue and also home
to both Middlesex County Cricket Club
and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The historic Long Room provided a
picturesque setting for the well-attended
reception which brought together current
and former members of the College for
a celebration of BNC’s long history of
excellence in sporting achievement.
Attendees at the reception were treated to
a guided tour of Lord’s by members of the
ground’s knowledgeable staff. Highlights of
the tour included the spectacular views from
the award-winning Investec Media Centre; a
visit to the England team dressing rooms; and
a seat at the table in the MCC committee
room, scene of much intrigue and controversy
over cricket’s long history.
The tour was followed by entertaining
speeches by distinguished BNC alumni Alan
C Smith (1957) and David Westcott (1976).
Alan has had an esteemed career in cricket.
A three-time Blue while at BNC, he went on
to represent England at test level in 1962 and
’63. He was also a long-serving all-rounder for
Warwickshire and then, upon retirement as
a player, occupied roles as Chief Executive of
the English Cricket Board and an ICC match
referee. David was captain of Great Britain’s
men’s hockey team in the 1984 LA Olympics
which beat pre-Olympic favourites Australia
to win bronze.
The speakers provided lively and informative
accounts of BNC’s history as a leading
sporting college, coupled with personal
reflections on their experiences of sporting
life in Oxford. Alan recalled the dominance
of BNC and Oxford cricket teams during his
time, with players of first-class and sometimes
test standard fielded at college and university
level. Such was the quality of cricket that even
players of international standard sometimes
struggled to gain selection to the Blues squads
,
of the late 50s. David remembered fondly
his enjoyment of playing hockey on BNC’s
well-maintained sports ground, an experience
unsurpassed in his subsequent playing days.
Both speeches were warmly received.
Lord’s provided an excellent setting to
appreciate the role that sport has played in
developing the community and character of
the College. The event also provided ample
inspiration to the current students present,
in particular members of the College’s
cricket team which is set to play the MCC
during Trinity on 14 June 2009 in an event
for the Quincentenary.
Klem Ryan (BNC 2007)
I wish everyone a very happy summer and
I do look forward to seeing many of you at
our future events.
Photographed by David Klein
Your enthusiasm for Brasenose, the
successes of our undergraduates, graduates
and fellows, the efforts of our faithful staff,
the substantial annual fund that you, the
alumni, are generating to support our
activities, and the major gifts that we are
receiving, all give me confidence that we
will achieve our aims of providing the
very best education and experience for
all, whatever their backgrounds, and in so
doing set a firm foundation for the next 500
years. This will all be a challenge, but it is
one to which I believe Brasenose and its
alumni will respond with enthusiasm.
Goldsmiths’ Hall
Book-Launch
New Development
Director
Jennifer Lewis joins the College to
continue to strengthen alumni relations
and fundraising programmes.
Jennifer comes to Brasenose after seven
years as Director of Alumni Relations and
Development at the Dragon School in
Oxford. Her previous experience includes
six years each at Merton College and
Princeton University.
The funding of higher education has
undergone significant changes in recent
years and it is clear that private giving will
remain important to colleges and universities
in the future. Historically, of course, benefaction has played a major role in the
founding and resourcing of many colleges,
and Brasenose is no exception. Individual
philanthropy, Jennifer acknowledges, remains a key factor, albeit in a somewhat
different guise from that which resulted in
the foundation of the College in 1509.
There are, however, many ways of giving.
In an obvious and necessary way, alumni
can contribute financially to the funds and
projects that interest them. But Jennifer
believes there is a host of opportunities
for alumni involvement in the life of the
College today. Those able to provide careers
mentoring or work experience for current
members of BNC, or to introduce others who
may be interested in supporting Brasenose,
will all be providing valuable contributions
to the College’s future. She looks forward to
working with all members of the Brasenose
community in the coming years.
Annual Fund
We are enormously grateful to report that the
Annual Fund, launched in 2007, has received
nearly £400,000 to date with an additional
£54,000 pledged. These generous donations
are already having an impact on life at the
College and have been used to enable:
Travel grants for Undergraduate Research
A number of Graduate Scholarships
● Student Support Grants
● Refurbishment of undergraduate
accommodation
● Improved Library facilities, including
better lighting
● Funding a new subscription to a music
library
● Contributions to our Clubs and Societies
●
●
Brasenose College is committed to ensuring
that its students benefit from an outstanding
education, supported by excellent teaching,
facilities and services. The Annual Fund
makes a real and tangible impact upon the
students of today and tomorrow and with
your continued support we hope to provide
the best educational experience available.
2
On Tuesday 2 December 2008, the
quincentenary history of BNC - Brasenose,
The Biography of an Oxford College - was well
and truly launched with a grand luncheon,
and still grander reception, in Goldsmiths’
Hall, London. The Hall itself dates from the
1830s, but its origins go back to the Middle
Ages; and the dining hall where the reception
was held - columned in marble, glittering
with gold leaf - is one of the finest rooms in
London. The luncheon, an annual event, was
greatly enjoyed by the invited members (with
their guests) of the Alexander Nowell circle:
alumni who had decided to remember BNC
in their wills.
But why Goldsmiths’ Hall? Well, every year at
BNC we drink to the health of one of our greatest
benefactors, Joyce Frankland (1531-87).
Mrs Frankland was the daughter and heiress
of Robert Trappes, who was twice in the 1520s
Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company.
Most Brasenose people will be familiar with
two portraits of ‘our Joyce’ proudly carrying her
favourite pocket watch: one in Hall and one
in the Senior Common Room. But few will
know the painting of her father, a rare panelportrait, hanging today in Goldsmiths’ Hall.
When she died in 1587, Mrs Frankland had
been twice widowed. She was also childless;
her only son died young. So her life was not
happy; her motto was ‘suffer and serve’. But
the Trappes family came from Lancashire prime Brasenose territory - and the executor
of her will was a very Brasenose Lancastrian,
Alexander Nowell. At Nowell’s suggestion
she resolved ‘in lieu of her most loving son
to rayse and begett unto her selfe in virtue
and learnyng manye Children’ (ie the future
students of Brasenose). So how much did
she leave us? Her capital endowment of the
College totalled £1,840. That would be many
millions today. For example, it included the
freeholds of Nos. 39-53 Kensington High
Street. Would that we owned them still!
All this, and much more, is explained in the
new official history of the College by Joe
Mordaunt Crook. Appropriately its author
is a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths’ Company,
as well as a Supernumerary Fellow of BNC,
and a Fellow of the British Academy. The
book - published by OUP - has been hailed
by Sir Keith Thomas as ‘an astonishing
compendium ... frequently hilarious ... which
anyone with the faintest interest in Oxford
ought to possess’. Copies can be ordered at
www.bnc.ox.ac.uk. Should you experience
any difficulties please contact 01865 277 835
or email [email protected].
If you would like more information on the
Alexander Nowell Circle please contact the
Development Office on 01865 287275 or
email development.office @bnc.ox.ac.uk
Professor Jane Cardosa photographed by Keiko Ikeuchi
BNC 500 Tanner Lectures
As many will know, the Tanner Lectures on
Human Values are a distinguished annual event
at Brasenose. In this, our quincentennial year,
the 2009 Tanner Lectures formed the intellectual
centrepiece of our BNC500 celebrations.
With the generous support of the Tanner
Foundation we had the pleasure of welcoming
an especially distinguished, and a singularly
numerous and diverse, programme of Tanner
Lecturers. The theme which united them was
simple, but not easy: Meeting the Challenges of
the 21st Century.
In its 500th year, BNC has much history to
celebrate; but the Tanner Lectures afforded
us an opportunity to look forward too; and
a chance to remind ourselves of the central
value of Brasenose as an academic institution
which can, through the efforts of its men and
women, help make the world a better place,
intellectually, morally and practically.
The lectures, which divided into four sessions,
took place over Friday and Saturday of Fifth
week of Hilary. We were delighted by the
number of alumni who were able to attend
and to take part in the discussions. Overall
we had somewhere in the region of 800-900
people attending the various sessions.
In the first session, Professors Robin Weiss
(UCL), Jane Cardosa (U Malaysia Sarawak)
and Eddie Holmes (Penn State) took up the
Challenge of Emerging Infection, with Prof
William James (Fellow, BNC) in the chair.
They were joined for discussion by a panel of
local experts including Prof Paul Klenerman
(Fellow BNC), Prof Tim Peto (BNC old
member) and Prof Harold Jaffe.
We then moved to the question of Terrorism
and International Security: What have we learned
from Afghanistan and Iraq? led by Dr Llewelyn
Morgan (Fellow, BNC). This session was
characterised by a compelling and instructive
plurality of viewpoints. Lt-Col John Nagl
and Leo Docherty gave us their reflections as,
respectively, US and British former serving
officers (chair: Paddy Docherty). They were
followed by a panel discussion involving Ana
Rodriguez Garcia (protection of Afghan cultural
heritage), Alan Macdonald (mine clearance),
John Bingham (journalist), Joanna Buckley
(UN in Afghanistan), Susanne Varga Nagl (on
problems for US service families) and George
Noel-Clarke (political officer in Afghanistan);
the last four again BNC old members.
The Saturday morning session was concerned
with Human Rights in the 21st Century,
organised by Prof Stefan Vogenauer (Fellow,
BNC). In the first part, introduced by Lord
Justice Scott Baker (Hon Fellow, BNC), Prof
Vernon Bogdanor (Fellow, BNC) and Kate
Allen (Amnesty UK, Hon Fellow, BNC)
talked on democracy and human rights in
the context of terrorism and security. In the
second, introduced by Sir Nicholas Bratza
(European Court of Human Rights, BNC
old member), the topic turned to bioethics
and human rights, with Professors Sir Ian
Kennedy (Healthcare Commission) and
Julian Savulescu (Uehiro Centre).
In the final session we faced Environmental
Challenges in a Warming World, chaired by
David Shukman of the BBC and organised
by Dr Giles Wiggs (Fellow, BNC). Professors
Robert Watson and Sir David King provided
comprehensive reviews from the perspective
of present and past Chief Scientific Advisers
to the Government; Prof Deiter Helm and
George Monbiot (both BNC alumni) talked
respectively on the economic aspects and the
necessity of leaving fossil fuels in the ground.
All four joined forces for a stimulating panel
discussion to close the event.
The drinks after the lectures each day provided
further opportunities for lively interchanges.
The lectures and discussions were recorded;
and transcripts and edited audio should soon
be available from the BNC website. The
lectures will also be published in the series of
volumes, Tanner Lectures on Human Values,
produced by the University of Utah Press. In
future years’ Tanner Lectures we hope to revisit
some of the themes discussed this year, and to
see how matters have indeed progressed.
The Feldberg Prize
Peter Somogyi, FRS, Senior Kurti
Research Fellow at Brasenose College and
Director of the Medical Research Council
Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit
at the University of Oxford received the
Feldberg Prize for 2009 from the Feldberg
Foundation of London for his contribution
to neuroscience. Somogyi recognised that
explanations of normal and pathological
events in the brain can only come from the
rigorous definition of the neuronal circuits,
which led him to the discovery of novel
principles of neuronal organisation in the
basal ganglia, the cerebellum, the neocortex
and the hippocampus.
The prizes are awarded to German scientists
resident in Germany and to British scientists
resident in the United Kingdom. Peter
Somogyi will deliver the Feldberg Prize Lecture
at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research
in Frankfurt/Main in June 2009, and will also
lecture at other German universities.
For further information see:
http://mrcanu.pharm.ox.ac.uk
http://www.feldbergfoundation.org
3
BNC 500 Celebrations
It is a momentous occasion to celebrate a
quincentenary, an experience in which one
cannot help but feel proud to share. How
do you honour five hundred years of College
history? For it is a time that should be marked
with all the splendour it holds. This is a time to
not only celebrate what has been built but also
those who dedicated themselves to its survival
and the lives that were moulded here. We
prepared a programme that we hoped would
be well received and attended, we had no idea
of just how great that support would be.
Included in this newsletter you will find articles
about the events that have already taken place.
The next event will be the BNC 500 VIIIs Week
Family Day. Lunch will be followed by a series
of activities and a variety of entertainment.
If you did not manage to book a ticket to the
lunch please join us in the afternoon as you will
be able to participate in the programme.
In September alumni will gather from around
the world for a weekend of celebrations, a
time to revive memories, share experiences
and partake in those familiar traditions. We
have had an overwhelming response with
events selling out within days. Tickets may
still be booked on line for the Sheldonian
Presentation and Sunday Lunch.
We are in the final planning stages of the
Brasenose High Table at Sotheby’s New
York, scheduled for 12 September 2009. For
one night we will transform Sotheby’s into
Brasenose College and offer you an evening
in Hall. An auction will also take place with
the opportunity to bid for exclusive items
and experiences. More information will be
posted on the website shortly.
We would like to thank all our alumni for
their support and especially for understanding
when we were unable to confirm attendance
at the event of preference. The possibility of
hosting further events is being discussed and
updates will be posted on the website. We
look forward to seeing you at the celebrations
and should you require any additional
information please contact the BNC500
Events Office on 01865 277 835.
4
A Sixtieth
Anniversary Reunion
In a year of Brasenose celebrations, eighteen
survivors of the College’s 1949 intake held
a reunion dinner on 19 March at the Oxford
and Cambridge Club in London to celebrate
their golden anniversary.
This event, the result of some patient
emailing by Michael Rountree, had one
remarkable feature. Everybody present
knew more or less exactly what everyone
else round the table had been doing for
the last sixty years, even before they had
exchanged a word of greeting. This was
thanks to a suggestion by Clyde Sanger that
all prospective diners should write a short
essay on their lives and careers beforehand
‘so that all secrets would be out and lots of
jokes prepared in advance’. All contributions
were professionally crafted into a booklet
by ex-journalist Clyde, who added his own
account even though he sadly decided he
couldn’t make the journey from Canada for
the dinner itself.
One other absent 49er was particularly
remembered. George Bull, who died in 2001,
featured in the booklet of memoirs in the form
of his obituary in the Independent, written by
Jeremy Mitchell.
The general consensus was that all present
seemed to have led happy and successful lives,
thanks, not least, to the sturdy foundations
laid down by Brasenose. Such was the warm
glow of satisfaction felt by all that it was
optimistically decided to repeat the dinner in
the not too distant future.
Pearson Phillips (BNC 1949)
Names of all who attended.
Bill Clennell | John Twining
Ross McHardy | Bruce Kent
David Stoneham | Alan O’Hea
Pat Rooney | David Kemp
Peter Smith | John Hearth
John Grey | Tony Davidson
Jeremy Mitchell | Derrick Blay
John Mountford | Peter Crawford
Michael Rountree | Pearson Phillips.
Names of 49ers
(in the small group pic, reading from right to
left, away from the camera.)
John Twining | Derrick Blay
David Stoneham | Peter Crawford
John Mountford.
Reunion Dinner for those who
matriculated in October 1958
This may be the 500th anniversary year of
BNC itself, but it is also the 50th of those
who matriculated in 1958. This event was
celebrated on 3 April at an excellent reunion
dinner in the College Hall attended by 33 of
those original 107 Brasenose men, together
with three who, having matriculated either a
year earlier or a year later and graduated with
us in 1961, seemed really to be part of our
year. Many of those present had not met since
graduation. Professor Graham Richards, who
has been at BNC for virtually all of those 50
years presided at the dinner.
To accompany the reunion a ‘year book’ is being
compiled with short autobiographies of those
in the year, beneath photographs of themselves
as they were in 1958 and as they are now. An
interim edition for those attending the reunion
contained 58 such entries of ’58 men together
with 6 of those invited from ’57 and ’61 and it
is hoped that a more complete version will be
finished and circulated shortly.
Graham Richards wrote and spoke about our
year as follows:
“One unique feature [of our year group] was
that 1958 was the year when National Service
was stopped. Thus the year combined a mixture
of those who came out of the forces together with
those straight from school, but the leavening of
experienced ex-military had a profound influence.
Our year, together with the following one, was the
last year of undergraduates who wore sports coats,
ties and cavalry twills, before undergraduates
became students and had long hair and listened
to the Beatles. We still climbed in at night without
complaint and had no keys for our rooms.
The other unique aspect was that we represented
the Indian summer of the great and long-lasting
Brasenose sporting tradition. No group in
subsequent years has come close to matching
our athletic achievements. The class produced a
rowing blue; a rugby blue; two athletics blues,
including the president of OUAC; two football
blues, including the captain; two hockey blues;
four lacrosse blues, including the captain; three
cricket blues two of whom played county cricket,
and the captain who played Test cricket. Members
of this vintage year took part in teams which won
cuppers at rugby, athletics and hockey.
Given this sporting prowess, the uninitiated, and
that includes many dons, might presume a lack
of mental prowess, but the subsequent record
disproves that and again displays an extraordinary
successful set of careers.
The class has produced a High Court Judge;
Senior Partner of a City law firm; two Hollywood
moguls; a University Chancellor; two Generals;
a Trades Union General Secretary; a senior press
and a senior TV journalist; numerous senior
businessmen; several university professors; two
headmasters; a Fellow of All Souls and a Fellow
of the College. Just one ended up in a police cell.
Now viewed with the hindsight of 50 years, it
truly was a unique group, and not just because
we were covered in flour for our Freshmen’s
photograph.”
James Flecker (BNC 1958)
PS (For those of other years who might think
of doing this) In retrospect we should have
tried to arrive at lunch time before the dinner
or stay until lunch next day. Dinner itself is
just not long enough, not after 50 years!
Present at the reunion dinner were:
Stephen Speight took this photo of David Moore (left) and
Robin Cook reading their brand-new copies of Lady Chatterley’s
Lover in his room in Holywell on the day of issue.
John Belfield | Kenneth Boyd | Michael Connell
Alan Everest | James Flecker | John Gifford
Michael Gillette | John Gray | Philip Grubb
Richard Harrison | Charles Harrison-Wallace
Patrick Helmer | Jeremy Horsman
Christopher Hudson | Ian Jessel
Malcolm Kelsall | John Kent | Raza Khattak
Robert Kyle | Roger Lane | David Lawday
Graham Leeke | David Lomax | Simon Matthews
Barry Melbourne Webb | John Milsom
Francis Neate | Richard Page-Jones | Alistair Pitty
John Pritchard | Graham Richards | Alan Smith
David Walker | William Wardell
Graham Williams | Barry Woolham.
5
We decided to be as united and committed
as an Oxford Blue Boat can be and to surpass
any normal expectations of great crews. Our
mantra was to extinguish Cambridge’s hope
at every opportunity and become their worst
nightmare. And so we did. It is the greatest
experience of my life to see nine guys so
committed and dedicated to the same goal.
We were an undefeated crew that won all the
fixture races, the heaviest crew in the history
of the race (99.7kg on average) and the speeds
we were achieving in training were some of the
fastest in the history of Oxford Blue Boats.
But there was something more for me
personally. Our stroke, Ante Kusurin, and
I lost the 2007 Boat Race. Losing the Boat
Race leaves a scar on you forever, as such,
Ante and I trained everyday in order to erase
that scar from our minds and bodies. We
pushed ourselves everyday for the memory of
the 2007 crew as well as for each individual
in the 2009 Blue Boat. This year’s victory
finally removed the scar Ante and I incurred
two years ago. We finally have our revenge.
Michal Plotkowiak (BNC 2006)
Oxford University Inter-Collegiate
Left Roger Murray, centre Jeremy Penn (Captain) and right Stephen Lee
Golf Tournament 2009
Frilford Heath, 17 April
For some years now there has been an informal
intercollegiate golfing tournament for former
members of the University held at a golf course
near Oxford and finishing up with a dinner at
one of the colleges. Last year there were 16
colleges taking part, but BNC has apparently
never been involved. From its totally informal
beginnings the tournament is now on a more
structured footing and the central organization
is done by the Development Office of one
of the participating colleges. Bill Morris
(Corpus), one of the tournament committee,
asked James Flecker (BNC 58-62) to try to
raise a BNC team for this year’s tournament
and the following answered the call and
represented the College:
Jeremy Penn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1960)
Barry May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1969)
Roger Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1956)
Stephen Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1964)
Michael Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1959)
Nigel Wightman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (1971)
Nicholas Warrington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2003)
Anyone who plays golf and would like to be
contacted in the future, should send their
contact details to me at [email protected]
In fact it would probably be really useful if we
had a full list of all our golfers, in case people
might like to arrange meetings in the future.
So please send your details to me and I will
pass them on to the College.
James Flecker (BNC 1958)
6
By courtesy of Getty Images
The 2009 Boat Race was exceptional in every
aspect, for me personally as well as for the
whole Oxford University Boat Club squad.
Our crew was composed of five different
nationalities: American, British, Croatian,
Dutch and Polish. Five members of the Blue
Boat competed in the Beijing Olympics and
two came back with medals. It was a huge
challenge for our Coach, Sean Bowden,
to bring this mix of guys with different
backgrounds together and build an eight in
such a short time. Ultimately, it was down
to us to come together to beat Cambridge.
The victorious Boat Race crew with Michal Plotkowiak in the bow position,
Boat Race 2009
Brasenose VIII finishing Head of the River, 1889 from‘The Demon Spurter’ by Richard Kent.
A Family Tradition
At the recent 1958 reunion, I was asked “Given
that four generations of Oxford Kents have acted
as Finishing Judge at the Boat Race for the last
82 years, why have Oxford not won the last 82
Boat Races?” Perhaps we have not been trying.
My grandfather (C W Kent) was first invited
in 1928. He had been the finest stroke of
his generation, taking BNC Head of the
River in 1889 and keeping them there in 1890.
He went on to stroke Oxford to victory in 1891
and to win the Grand for Leander in 1891-2-3-4.
The BNC boathouse is (or was) full of his oars.
I never heard that he had to judge any difficult
races. On the other hand, my father’s first race
was his worst. A minute before the crews were
expected at the finish, he could not see the other
side of the river for snow. Oxford came round
the outside of the bend to win by a canvas.
Over the years my grandfather, my father and
I stood on a boat motoring idly against the
incoming tide to hold its place on the finishing
line. We lined up the waymarks and waited.
Once the race started, the only news that we
wanted to hear on the radio was that clear water
was opening up between the crews. As each one
crossed the line, we dropped the flag. Then we
gave the official result - up to 3 lengths judged
by eye and over 3 lengths calculated by taking
the time difference between the crews and
assuming 3 seconds per length. It never occurred
to anyone that the official verdict was of much
interest outside Oxbridge. However, in 1976 the
time-keepers’ launch broke down, the official
verdict was not passed up the chain of command
and the betting shops would not pay out.
I was particularly glad that I had handed over
to my nephew, Ben (New College), before the
one-foot verdict in 2003. Now Ben is stuck
on the bank with TV screens and technical
support. Someone else drops the flag but he
gives the verdict. I feel that he does not have
the fun that we did.
John Kent (BNC 1958)
MCC CRICKET MATCH
Sunday 14 June BNC Grounds
It is nostalgic legend at Brasenose that, in days
of yore, when the world-famous Marylebone
Cricket Club toured Oxford each season
they played only two teams, the Blues and
the Brasenose 1st XI: such was the strength
of the cricket club where MC Cowdrey, AC
Smith and several other cricketing greats
cut their teeth.
day’s cricket begins at 11.30 am and will finish
between 6 pm and 7 pm. For the spectators,
there will be a bar selling soft and alcoholic
drinks, some light food and snacks, and
commentary on the game. In short, a perfect
opportunity to enjoy a summer’s day with a
picnic, to catch up with friends over a beer,
and to celebrate the College’s 500th year.
In this the quincentenary of Brasenose, the
MCC returns to play the 1st XI in a special
fixture to crown the sporting summer. A full
For any queries about the game, please contact
the Captain of Cricket, Arvind Singhal
[email protected].
7
By kind permission of Sara Fugami
The Wingfield Organ
As part of the Quintcentenery celebrations, Brasenose is most
fortunate to have on loan the Wingfield Organ, a reconstruction
of a Tudor organ. The organ was reconstructed by organ builders
Goetze & Gywnn and is part of the Early English Organ Project
now co-ordinated by the Royal College of Organists.
Unlike the continent, where many examples
of sixteenth-century organs can be seen (and
heard), virtually nothing survives from this
time in Britain. Apart from a few fragments,
which provided the source material for the
Early English Organ Project, much was lost
during the Reformation and the Civil War.
Brasenose, the last college to be founded
before the era of religious unrest, would have
had a small organ in the chapel (the location
of the present SCR dining room). According
to the Bursar’s scrolls the organ was repaired
sometime in 1523-4. The organ disappeared
soon after 1549 when it was sold; there is
a reference to ‘a pair of orgaynes bought at
London of the facion of a countying borde or
lowe table’.
Archaeological discoveries from 1977 and
1995 provided sufficient material to arouse
interest in recreating a Tudor organ. The
first discovery was made in Meadow Farm,
Blacksmith’s Green, Wetheringsett, near
Stowmarket, where renovation uncovered
an old soundboard (the part of an organ on
which the pipes rest and from which the
pipes receive their wind). The fragment
had been used as a door (possibly for over
three hundred years) and it was the curious
8
array of grooves and holes which led to
its eventual identification as an organ
soundboard. Tests later led to a dating of 1520.
The reconstructed Wetheringsett Organ can
now be found in Holy Trinity Church, Prince
Consort Road, London.
The reconstruction of the Wingfield Organ,
now in Brasenose, was based on a soundboard
discovered in a coffin-house of a churchyard
(Wingfield Church). It was discovered in
1995 by organ builder Dominic Gywnn.
The fragment was previously noted in 1937
when the author states that two visitors
‘saw the fragments of such a pair of organs
in Wingfield Church fifty years ago but they
disappeared a few years later’. According to
Dominic Gwynn an earlier reference in the
Wiltshire Magazine stated that ‘The remains
of a pair of ancient organs are, or were until
lately, preserved in the church of Wingfield,
Suffolk’. The organ was reconstructed in 2000
and has been in various churches around
England. It was in All Souls’ College, a few
years ago (the first organ to be heard in the
chapel since the destruction of the original
organ during the Reformation) and came to
Brasenose last December after a brief stay in
St Paul’s Cathedral.
The organ has been used to provide voluntaries
for College Prayers on a Sunday. During the
final service of term it was used for an alternatim
setting of the Magnificat, an old practice of
alternating verses of canticles and hymns
between human voices and the organ’s ‘voices’.
Although the perceived ‘absence’ of some of
the Magnificat’s words was provocative, the
experience was a delight and a most interesting
experience to many who attended the service.
With thanks to several College members
for their interest in providing the Wingfield
Organ with energy through their pumping of
the organ’s bellows!
Brasenose will welcome pupils from New
College School next term and it is hoped
to organise visits from other local schools.
Students from the Royal College of Music
will also visit next term. Michaelmas Term
2009 will witness the creation of a series of
services in which organ scholars from around
the University will direct service music using
the Wingfield Organ. For further information
or to arrange a visit please contact nicholas.
[email protected]. Please see www.
goetzegwynn.co.uk/tudor.shtml for further
information about the project.
Nick Prozzillo (BNC 2001)
Dmitri Gutjahr
Cardinall’s Musick
On 1 February Brasenose had the pleasure
of welcoming the Cardinall’s Musick. The
programme was entitled ‘Elizabeth’ and
comprised music composed during the life of
the fascinating monarch, Elizabeth I. The musicmaking began in the Ante Chapel and the
choir processed into the chapel singing Pastime
with good company by Henry VIII. Directed by
Andrew Carwood, now Director of Music at
St Paul’s Cathedral, Brasenose witnessed yet
another excellent Platnauer Concert.
The wonderful singing was given another
element of interest through Andrew Carwood’s
excellent introductions. The programme gave
a wonderful insight into the reign of Elizabeth
I and the introduction to each section placed
the music that was about to be sung in its
proper context. Following the introductory
section presenting music composed just
before and after the beginning of the English
Reformations, the concert examined the
Spanish Armada, the Elizabethan golden
age and the way composers referred to their
queen, and lastly the unstable and uncertain
times that reflected Elizabeth’s last years.
The Spanish Armada was presented through
several compositions, beginning with Deliver
me from mine enemies, by Robert Parsons and
ending with the sublime Haec Dies (This is
the day that the Lord hath made) by one of
the greatest British composers, William Byrd.
No programme featuring Elizabethan music
could ignore Byrd. Elizabeth liked a ‘good
tune’; she appreciated a good song writer
and this is perhaps the main reason why she
allowed Byrd, a fervent Roman Catholic, to
compose and publish music. In return Byrd
showed great fondness for the queen, greeting
her in This sweet and merry month of May: ‘greet
Elyza with a Ryme. O Beauteous Queene of
second Troy’. The concert ended with one of
Byrd’s most sensitive word settings, O Lord
make Elizabeth our Queen.
The Cardinall’s Musick has attracted great
attention for its superb sound and inspiring
progammes. I can do no better than quote the
programme notes:
One of the strengths of the group lies in the
combination of solid academic research with
the ability of its singers to perform as soloists
who are also part of a vocal team, ‘preserving
their vocal personalities rather than striving
for a mellifluous blend … resulting in a vibrant
texture of timbres’ (The Daily Telegraph).
Coupled with this goes a sincere love of the
music and the desire to give deeply committed
live performances: ‘The voices of Andrew
Carwood and his eight cohorts could probably
start a blaze in the Antarctic!’ (The Times).
A wonderful and truly inspiring evening.
Members of College are most welcome to
attend the Platnauer Concerts. The Sunday
concerts are held in the third week of
each term and begin at 21:00. For further
information please see the College website
– ‘music’ – or email the Graduate Director of
Music: [email protected].
Nick Prozzillo (BNC 2001)
Brasenose Panto
Brasenose pantomime isn’t exactly an ancient
institution. In fact, the recent alumnus Cat
Totty (1999) assures me she penned the first
ever one. However, it is a necessary outlet for
some of the more odd and untoward side-effects
of college life.
Script-writing was a walk in the park. David
would seize me by the lapels. ‘Damn it, Harry!’
he would cry. ‘How are we going to resolve
this plotline?’
‘I just don’t know, David, dash it all!’ I would
tear at my hair in agitation.
But just as we were giving up hope, he’d say,
‘Games! We could write a whole damn scene
about games!’ For a walk in the park like this, we
were clearly a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
Nevertheless we soon had an eager cast
together. Sarah Lyall played Jack with wide-eyed
bewilderment, ruffling the petals of Mat Owen
who took the role of Daisy. Chris Tudor kept the
audience busy as Dame Titania, reeling off with
panache such lines as ‘Show me the Wonga!’
His girlfriend Juliet, who is in charge of Arts
Week this year, memorably played Nigella. And,
of course, Richard O’Brien was wicked (in both
senses) as the villainous spiv, whether he was
trying to sell a pair of quincentenary knockers or
the fateful tin of Heinz Baked Beans.
Chris Tudor as Dame Titania
Not so long ago, in a college with a very silly
name, the Christmas pantomime had sadly
dwindled. (Ahh!) No, it was worse than that.
(Ahhhh!!) There were those who would stand
by and see it disappear altogether. (Boo! Hiss!)
But then along came two third-years (They’re
behind you!), Mr David Lewis-Hall and myself.
We independently came to the same conclusion:
the pantomime should go on! (Thigh slap!)
Charlotte Hutchinson took charge of singing
and Rebecca Dyar made costumes like the rip-off
Velcro legs for the French Daddy-Long-Legs.
The day before the big performance, Margaret
Brooks and Lucy Taylor came to me with a lastminute question. ‘How are we going to do the
bean stack?’
This was a slight problem. But Margaret and
Lucy, ever resourceful, had soon printed some
Heinz labels off the internet, wrapped them
round some tins borrowed from the College
recycle bin and threaded them onto a string to
be held diagonally across the stage.
The Christmas pantomime was at once satirical
and surreal. It included a tramp who liked
gardening, a man walking a lobster on a lead and
a meeting of three Brasenose Alumni who could
never have met in real life. The Covered Market
surfaced as the Undercover Market (a vortex of
vice where no one has any principles, not even
vice-principals!) and the world up the beanstalk
became a topsy-turvy sort of Brasenose (called
Beanznose) where the Big Cheese lived in his
castle. When Jack finally chopped down the
Bean Stack and destroyed the Big Cheese, he
inadvertently discovered the recipe for Cheese
and Beans on Toast. As the narrator concluded,
‘That is why Jack is the patron saint of students.
He merits a place in this Hall between the
founders of this College, Good Bishop William
and Sir Richard in his zigzag tabard…’
…these two (but not Jack) will appear in the
historical pageant I’m writing for the Anniversary
Weekend. With finals over, David will (fingerscrossed) play the benefactress, Joyce Frankland!
Harry Ford (BNC 2006)
9
Brasenose Charity Calendar 09
A Gift to
Celebrate
There are a number of gifts that members
can purchase in celebration of the 500th
Anniversary of Brasenose College. The
pudding basin featured below has proved
to be one of our most popular items.
Looking back now, it’s quite hard to imagine
that the Brasenose Charity Calendar 2009
blossomed from a casual suggestion made
during a JCR Charities meeting. Nonetheless,
after 6 weeks of frantic emailing and gentle
persuasion, entertaining photo-shoots with
strategically placed props and extremely
efficient printing, the first-ever College seminaked charity calendar hit the shelves before
the end of Michaelmas term!
The calendar involved a wide spectrum of
College members from various sports teams
to JCR and HCR committees, musicians
to student bar staff and anyone else who
wanted to get involved. The photographs
were mainly set in familiar College sites like
the library, Shackleton Room and Old Quad
and a surprising number taken in broad
daylight! We truly appreciated the help of
College staff and senior members in giving
us permission to use College rooms and for
their support in general.
The inspiration for a semi-naked calendar
came from St Anne’s College which had
successfully raised a great deal of money from
this unique endeavour. To date, we have
raised over £750 having sold 160 calendars to
students. The money raised will be donated to
breast and testicular cancer charities, Cancer
Research UK and Orchid Cancer Appeal
respectively. The element of semi-nudity
serves as a motif to help convey our message
of raising awareness among Brasenose students
about these cancers.
The two cancers were chosen for their
prevalence and association to those within the
student body age bracket. Breast cancer is now
the most common cancer in the UK according
to Cancer Research UK, and was widely
accepted as a cause to support. Furthermore,
early detection of breast cancer helps to fight
the disease and we hope that raising awareness
among students will help with this. Testicular
cancer was chosen as males aged between 18
and 32 are at highest risk of contracting the
disease. Whilst testicular cancer has a very low
mortality rate, the biggest problem associated
with it is awareness, where most men do
not check for signs and often do not know
what to look for. We hope that the calendar
will help to raise awareness among students
and again help with early detection. Both
of the charities supported focus on raising
awareness which resonates with our desire of
informing students.
BNC 500 PUDDING BASIN
Capacity 1 Litre
£19
(see opposite page for ordering procedure)
Herodotus
Pudding,
1846
JCR Charities Committee 2008
The recipe for Herodotus Pudding was
sent to us in 1944 by Joan Evans of
Wotton-under-Edge. It was among papers
of her grandmother Anne Evans (17911883). Anne Evans was married to Arthur
Benoni Evans (1781-1854), priest, writer
and headmaster of Market Bosworth
Grammar School. Their son Arthur Evans
(not the archaeologist) was at Brasenose
1840-44, and brought the recipe home
from the College. Arthur Evans went on
to be Curate of one of his father’s livings
at Carlton in Leicestershire, but he died
young, in April 1850.
Faeza Afzal | Emma Blake
Rachel James | Felicity Johnston
Recipe
The calendar proved to be an extremely fun
project for the JCR Charities Committee
organising it and was definitely a memorable
College experience for all involved. We would
like to extend a massive thank you to BNC
students for their support and participation
and for embracing the idea with open arms. We
hope that the calendar becomes a Brasenose
tradition in the years to come!
250g/2 cups suet
Brasenose
Quincentenary
Exhibition
In honour of its Quincentenary, Brasenose
College will exhibit a collection of artefacts,
paintings and ancient documents. It is a
rare opportunity to take a close look at the
collection of noses. Take this occasion to view
College silver, rare books from the Library and
archives from the twelfth century onwards. On
special loan from the Ashmolean Museum,
J M W Turner’s painting of Brasenose College
will be on display along with other paintings.
10
Autograph material of John Buchan, Lord
Sidmouth (Prime Minister 1801-04), Edward
VIII and Alice Liddell will be put on show.
The exhibition will run from 21 May 2009
until 26 June 2009 in the Cloisters,
Brasenose College. Open 2-5 pm on
weekdays. Admission free (subject to
usual £1 admission charge to the College
for non-members).
250g/2 cups raisins
125g/2 cups fine breadcrumbs
125g/1 cup sugar
4 figs, chopped
Grated rind of one lemon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
4 tablespoons of brandy
2 eggs
Method
Mix the ingredients together, put them in
the pudding basin, tie a greaseproof paper
circle over the top of the basin and steam
for five hours.
BNC Merchandise
To view the full product range with detailed descriptions and to place an order
please visit www.bnc.ox.ac.uk and click on the BNC 500 memorabilia link.
THE BRAZEN NOSE PENDANT
Nose 3cm high, Chain 35cm long
CHARM BRACELET
£60
Nose 2cm high, Bracelet 20cm long
HALCYON DAYS ENAMEL BOX
£140
Diameter 5.7cm
£110
4 BRAZEN NOSE COASTERS
BRAZEN NOSE BRASS KNOCKER
10cm x 10cm each mat
10cm wide x 20.2cm high
£22 per set
NAPKIN RINGS
5cm wide x 4cm high
£35 (box set of two)
SILK SCARF
86cm x 86cm
£48
DARTINGTON SQUARE
DECANTER
£500
COMPACT UMBRELLA
£90
£20
CUFFLINKS - THE BRAZEN NOSE
SILK TIE
Nose 2cm high
Produced especially for BNC
£135
£27
11
Douglas
Vernimmen
Exhibition
Douglas Vernimmen works as a scientist
affiliated with Brasenose College, and
also occasionally as a photographer at
College events. Doug had an early interest
in photography and joined the Oxford
Photographic Society five years ago, when he
came to Oxford. Quickly Doug established
his first success in photography at the London
Salon in 2006 and has also subsequently been
recognised by the Photographic Alliance
of Great Britain (CPAGB) and the Royal
Photographic Society (LRPS). Today Doug
is an active exhibitor in International Salons
and has so far exhibited his photographs in
more than 20 countries.
His photographic interests are portraiture,
Oxford buildings and its people. The exhibition
held at the Royal Photographic Society in June
2009 will be a selection of 30 of his portraits.
Two years ago Doug began photographing
people to build up his successful LRPS panel.
His models are usually friends, colleagues or
their children, people he met in the street, but
also some celebrities including Jimmy Carter,
Colin Dexter and the Vice-Chancellor of
Oxford University.
The Exhibition is open Monday-Friday and you
can find more information at www.rps.org
Oxford Alumni
Weekend
Meeting Minds: An Equal Citizenship
25–27 September 2009
Invitation
to alumni
to deposit
their Oxford
research thesis
in ORA
Oxford University Research Archive (ORA,
see http://ora.ouls.ox.ac.uk) is the new
online library for research materials produced
by Oxford academics and provides a means
to store, access and maximise visibility
for Oxford research output/materials. The
collection includes digital copies of Oxford
research theses. Former students who have
successfully graduated with an Oxford
research degree are invited to deposit a copy
of their thesis in ORA. Any student who
followed an eligible programme (see http://
www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/ora/oxford_etheses/
eligible_ethesis_depositors), no matter
when they graduated, can deposit their
thesis. The list is currently under review
as the governance of ORA transfers to the
new University Research Committee.
In 2009, the Oxford Alumni Weekend will
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the former
women’s colleges being granted the status of full
colleges of the University. To the prominent
feminist and author, Vera Brittain (Somerville
1914), the admission of women to the ancient
universities ‘represented the quintessence of the
whole movement for women’s emancipation,
the contest for the equal citizenship of the
mind’. Our programme will feature a breadth of
talks and panel discussions by leading alumni
and academics in a range of fields, focusing
particularly on the contributions of Oxford
women. Former Secretary of State and now life
peer, Gillian Shephard (St Hilda’s), and former
chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee,
Pauline Neville-Jones (LMH), will be joining
us for a panel discussing issues of security and
liberty. Writer Val McDermid (St Hilda’s) will
be leading a crime-writing session and business
woman Nicola Horlick (Balliol) will be part of
a panel focusing on women and work.
We will also be paying tribute in 2009 to the
International Year of Astronomy, using this
global initiative to give visibility to some of
Oxford’s most important scientific success
stories such as the Galaxy Zoo project, a website
which has encouraged the general public to help
classify millions of galaxies, to help identify how
different kinds of galaxies are distributed.
For something different again, why not join the
sing-in of part two of Handel’s Messiah, enjoy a
session on libraries in the twenty-first century with
Bodley’s Librarian, or book for a tour to see some of
Oxford’s hidden, and not so hidden gems, from the
OUP to the city’s gargoyles and grotesques!
If you are interested in attending the Weekend,
we recommend that you sign up to the 2009
mailing list to receive updates when information
becomes available, obtain a brochure and get
booking reminders. Fill in the online form at
www.alumniweekend.ox.ac.uk or email
[email protected].
See the ORA Help & Information website
http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/ora/oxford_
etheses for a list of eligible programmes and
for further information and help, or contact
[email protected] if you have any queries
or difficulties.
Mentioned in
Dispatches
Sally Rumsey
Fellows
ORA Service & Development Manager
Professor Vernon Bogdanor Tutor in
Politics at BNC since 1966 and Professor
of Politics and Government at Oxford
University was presented with the Sir Isaiah
Berlin Prize for Lifetime Contribution to
Political Studies in November 2008.
Sadly Departed
It is with great sadness that we report the loss of four eminent members of
the Brasenose community.
Mr John Foster (Emeritus Fellow)
Fellow in Philosophy 1966-2005. Emeritus Fellow from 2005. He had been a scholar of Lincoln
College. He was described when he retired as a much respected Tutor and a very prolific writer.
Sir John Mortimer (Honorary Fellow)
Read Jurisprudence at BNC 1940-42. Honorary Fellow from 2006. Barrister, writer
and dramatist.
Mr Mohammad Aslam Khan Khattak (Honorary Fellow)
Read Modern History at BNC 1929-32. Honorary Fellow from 2006. Former Pakistani
Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq and Government Minister.
Sir John Young (Honorary Fellow)
Read Jurisprudence at BNC 1938-41. Honorary Fellow from 1991. Former LieutenantGovernor of Victoria and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, 1974-91
Professor Peter Somogyi Senior Kurti
Fellow at BNC since 2004 and Director of
the Medical Research Council Anatomical
Neuropharmacology Unit at Oxford
University received the Feldberg Prize for
2009 for his contribution to neuroscience.
Alumni
Professor John Blair (BNC 1973) was
appointed a Fellow of the British Academy.
Dr Diane Coyle (BNC 1978) was awarded
an OBE in the New Year Honours List 2009.
Mr Richard Handyside (BNC 1991)
appointed QC February 2009.
Mr Anthony Peto (BNC 1979) appointed
QC February 2009.
Contacts
Alumni Relations and Development Office, Brasenose College, Oxford OX1 4AJ. Tel: 01865 287275 Email: [email protected]