Magdalen is delighted to announce that the Wolfson Foundation has awarded the College a grant of £100,000 to support the new educational spaces within its Riverside Project.
The project is due to commence building works in October 2026, and will deliver a new educational hub in the heart of the main college site. Alongside the specialist refurbishment of the existing Oscar Wilde and Austin Gill teaching rooms, developments will include a new riverside seminar room, more teaching spaces and a traction lift.
The Riverside Project will increase much-needed teaching and AV capability; enable wheelchair and disabled access; and fulfil our wider sustainability goals. The project is being led by Stirling Prize-winning architects Caruso St John and will sensitively redevelop Magdalen’s Grade I and Grade II* listed medieval fabric.
This development is part of a wider strategy to maximise the benefit of Magdalen’s prime riverside location by reorienting the College around the historic water meadow. Expanding and improving teaching facilities in the new heart of the College represents the next stage in this long-term commitment.
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent grant-making charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to contribute to civil society by supporting high-quality projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts.
Since it was established in 1955, the Wolfson Foundation has awarded over £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) to around 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
Magdalen is honoured to be partnering with them on the educational spaces within the Riverside Project, and delighted to have secured such a ringing endorsement of the College’s strategic goals.