Cross Keys 2021

The Oxford Vaccine Trials A view from the front

Caring in Covid Times St Peter’s people tell us about caring for their communities during the pandemic

Restoration and Renewal The restoration of our historic musical instruments

The Making of an Oxford Mascot ‘The Making of an Oxford Mascot’: all you need to know about the St Peter’s squirrel

CROSS KEYS ST PETER’S COLLEGE

CROSS KEYS

A WORD FROM

THE MASTER PROFESSOR JUDITH BUCHANAN MASTER

CONTENTS

ST PETER’S COLLEGE

A Word from the Master

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Castle Hill House – Bursar’s Update

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Development News

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Caring in Covid Times

The Oxford Vaccine Trials: A View From the Front 8-9

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Restoration and Renewal 10-11 Dr Roger Allen and Quintin Beer talk about the restoration of our historic musical instruments

Giving Back 12-13 We talk to Tara Glen (Engineering Science, 1988) about why she supports Engineering at St Peter’s

The Making of an Oxford Mascot

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St Peter’s, Oxford: From Hall to College 17 The Oxford Student Grief Network

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‘Joseph K’, the College Garden Play

Lewis Stubley and Julia Mervis tell us how they are helping students battling grief

My Favourite Place at St Peter’s Is... 19 Alumni News and Publications

IMAGE CREDITS: Professor Tom Adcock: p. 13 top Beatrice Barr: p. 6 top right Edmund Blok: Cover, p. 3 top, p. 5 top left, p.16 all, p. 19 bottom left Professor Judith Buchanan: p. 3 above, p. 4 top, p. 4 bottom Darcy Dixon: p. 19 top left Design Engine: p. 4 bottom left Tara Glen: p. 12 top, p. 13 bottom Catriona Jenkins: p. 6 top left Susanne Hodgson: p. 8 Julia Mervis and Lewis Stubley: p. 18 bottom Liz Middleton MBE: p. 7 top right Guy Shennan: p. 7 top left St Peter’s College Archive: pp. 14–15, p. 19 top right, p. 19 bottom left Kathryn Worthington: p. 5 top right

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St Peter’s people tell us about caring for their communities during the pandemic

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20-23

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Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders; any omissions are inadvertent, and will be corrected in a future issue if notification of the amended credit is sent to the publisher in writing.

The opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily the official views of St Peter’s College, Oxford.

The Editor thanks all who have contributed and advised on this year’s issue. Please send all feedback to: development.office@spc.ox.ac.uk Editor: Kathryn Worthington, Development Communications and Marketing Officer Design: Windrush Group Ltd Printing: Windrush Group Ltd

After a period in which college life has necessarily been very dialled down, in Trinity term we were finally able to make provision for some opening up.

Not everything became possible, but it was good to see how much more did, and what excellent use the students were able to make of the more permissive opportunities that now presented themselves.

The news that we had been placed fourth in the 2020 Norrington Table came as a boost. This is the best result St Peter’s has ever achieved and we are enormously proud of what students were able to do in their finals last year, despite the very difficult circumstances.

Success in Summer Torpids was emphatic. Blades were won both by St Peter’s women’s and men’s first boats. A skim through the archives persuades us that it’s the first time SPC has done the double in this way. The chalk celebrations are up around College, and deservedly so.

Across Trinity term, the garden to Canal House has been well used, for student art projects (both therapeutic and creative) and garden parties, for games of croquet and the College Garden Play.

These things helped raise the spirits in an examheavy term and also served as a final hurrah for a while for the garden itself which is about to be turned over to become the construction site entrance for our new-build development. We remain immensely grateful to all who have donated for the building project and we look forward to seeing our students enjoy the much-needed new accommodation in due course. From Trinity term 2023 onwards, the College you come back to visit (do!) will then be on a beautifully expanded site.

In this issue of Cross Keys, you’ll be able to read a few capsule stories about ‘Caring in Covid Times’.

The times have been brutal to many. However, the imperative to care in the face of the ravages of the pandemic has also connected many of us to our neighbours and communities in new and needful ways, as these sample stories attest. We’d love to hear more in this area also. Elsewhere in this issue: Dr Susanne Hodgson speaks about her important work on the Oxford vaccine trials; Emeritus Fellow Dr Roger Allen reports on the ongoing curation of our fine Willis organ; our new Director of Music reports on the reconditioning of our Blüthner grand

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piano; Tara Glen (Engineering Science, 1988) explains why she supports Engineering at St Peter’s; and our archivist, Dr Richard Allen, asks the important questions about squirrels. We learn more about the second volume in Eric Smith’s wide-ranging biography of the College and two of our current students, Julia Mervis and Lewis Stubley, report on the Oxford Student Grief Network that they have set up to provide a place of understanding, connection and support for other bereaved students. I salute them both. It is, as always, inspiring to see the many publications, and other achievements, of St Peter’s old members this year: present shopping for us all sorted right there. From the run of temptations before you – and there are many – allow me to recommend Kurt Jackson’s exquisitely beautiful volume Sea for a coffee table near you.

We look forward to seeing many of you back in College in due course. And should you be looking for a beautiful dinner venue in the year ahead, until our conference trade is back to strength, we would be delighted to see College booked for private functions, out of term, by those who know and love

DEVELOPMENT

NEWS Chalk celebrations by Hannington Hall

it of old. Elvis, St Peter’s superb chef (he really is) is certainly well-equipped to deliver a special dinner at any scale.

Books and dinner venue? Beautiful, both, without question. But that’s more than enough hawking from me for one issue. Enjoy Cross Keys!

CASTLE HILL HOUSE, BURSAR’S UPDATE BURSAR DOUGLAS SHAW

We break ground at the end of July and plan for the first students to move in April 2023.

The Master and I are deeply grateful to all those who have helped make this important development happen and we look forward to seeing it as an integrated and fully functioning part of our college estate soon.

Castle Hill House site from the Canal House garden

We are delighted to report that our attractively revised scheme for the Castle Hill House site has been approved by Oxford City Council’s Planning Committee.

We thank our team of advisors, led by Design Engine and Andy Waterman, for steering our application through the planning process.

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CHRISTOPHER SHAKESPEARE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Current and former Bursars

Chavasse Quad

Although we have been unable to welcome visitors to College over the last academic year, the Development and Alumni Relations Office has remained busy. Alumni who matriculated in the years 1980–1984 and 1998–2001 joined us for online Gaudies, and the Master held regional online events as part of the University’s ‘Meeting Minds Global’ series. There will be more of these to follow.

Mulberry Quad

The University has confirmed that in the last academic year St Peter’s alumni were the third most generous by participation amongst the 38 colleges, so thank you for making this happen.

We want Peterites everywhere to feel that they never completely left and we hope that your memories of, and continued interest in College remain an enduring and relevant part of your lives.

St Peter’s Music Society and the Choir shared highly accomplished performances, recorded from their separate spaces under the musical direction of our new Director of Music, Quintin Beer. You can view their performances here: www.spc.ox.ac.uk/choir-and-organ.

As part of our speaker series, St Peter’s academics Professor Christl Donnelly and Dr Susanne Hodgson shared news of their work combatting the Covid-19 pandemic. You can catch up on recordings of our previous speaker events on the St Peter’s College YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/SPCOxford/videos.

In this challenging year, we have been particularly grateful to our regular donors, and we would like to thank the St Peter’s Foundation, who have given a very generous collective gift to help in these tricky times.

We would also like to thank again all who gave to the Castle Hill House student accommodation project, on which building begins this summer.

There are still room naming opportunities available if you would like to get in touch: development.office@spc.ox.ac.uk.

Current and former Masters mark the start of the new building project together

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CARING IN COVID TIMES

ST PETER’S PEOPLE TELL US OF THE CHALLENGES AND THE INSPIRING MOMENTS THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED WHILE CARING FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC.

CATRIONA JENKINS (English Language and Literature, 2002) Deputy Headteacher at Hampstead School Hampstead School is a large secondary comprehensive in north-west London.

My key roles are overseeing teaching and learning and provision for disadvantaged students.

Throughout the school closures, a key challenge was, of course, supporting staff and students with teaching and learning remotely at very short notice.

It was even more important to ensure that our students were still supported both practically in terms of access to technology and, more widely, in terms of their social and emotional wellbeing.

A large percentage of our students are from disadvantaged backgrounds and the structure and support of face-to-face education is fundamental to their development. At home, many felt isolated, trying to work with limited technology in difficult spaces, while also balancing personal pressures of family members who had lost jobs and fallen ill with coronavirus.

A particular success was our virtual Sports Day, in which staff and students took part in a number of challenges from their own homes; it was a brilliant way of bringing our school community together. Without doubt, one of the most moving experiences for me was seeing the students coming back into school in March this year and their obvious delight at seeing friends and staff again.

BEATRICE BARR (History and Politics, 2018) Current student and volunteer at Oxford Mutual Aid Group When the first lockdown began last March, informal mutual aid groups sprang up around the country.

Since then, mutual aid has become a buzzword of the pandemic, and a form of community support that will continue long after the pandemic ends.

With the unofficial slogan of ‘solidarity not charity’, mutual aid groups provide non-means-tested, nonjudgemental support – usually in the form of food and other necessities.

I didn’t get involved with Oxford’s mutual aid group – Oxford Mutual Aid (OMA) – until Hilary Term this year. Since then, it’s become a huge part of my Oxford life, as a great way to meet wonderful and selfless people and escape from the library-workstress bubble. It’s incredibly and continuously rewarding to support the community that students profit from so much.

Volunteers play a variety of different roles: I spend most of my time at OMA packing weekly food parcels and putting together individual microwavable meals, but other volunteers do everything from fundraising, to driving deliveries, to cooking. The dignity of those receiving support is a priority. It’s a real community endeavour, and regularly supports over 300 families across Oxford.

It also provides emergency food support to over 100 families.

Find out more about Oxford Mutual Aid: oxfordmutualaid.org

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A large percentage of our students are from disadvantaged backgrounds and the structure and support of face-to-face education is fundamental to their development.

Throughout the pandemic, good humour, good will, resilience, support and desire to learn has shone through, and helped people connect.

GUY SHENNAN (Maths, 1980) Therapist, coach, trainer and consultant I help professionals via a therapeutic training approach called solution-focused practice. I also work as a therapist.

At the beginning of the pandemic all my work was cancelled in one fell swoop, and in this I was, of course, not alone. Ever since, there has been a strange combination of being disconnected, especially in a physical sense, and at the same time, being connected with people through this shared experience.

Early on, I was asked to deliver an online workshop to a group of clinical psychology students – my first experience of online teaching. When the first student appeared, we smiled at each other and started talking. It was not so different after all. We were connected.

I later had a new therapy client who agreed I could record our first session on Zoom. Without the usual social cues to rely on, there was awkwardness. What was clear was our mutual desire to understand each other. We were helping each other. The session culminated in the final two words, said simultaneously: ‘Thank you’.

Throughout the pandemic, good humour, good will, resilience, support and desire to learn has shone through, and helped people connect.

LIZ MIDDLETON MBE (English, 1983) International Chaplain at University of Nottingham During the pandemic, life has been especially tough for international students. Imagine arriving in a totally new country, to find that your first 14 days entail confinement in your room and no contact with the outside world.

A student from South America has described how painful, disorientating and almost intolerable he’d found this isolation.

Another student has found it agonising to be receiving news bulletins from his home country in East Africa, where conflict is ongoing. He feels helpless and immobilised from being able to reach out in the way he might otherwise.

To combat the sense of isolation, Zoom activities have been organised to give international students a chance to link in and feel more connected. We have ‘Chat with Friends’, ‘Talkabout’, ‘Globe Cafes on-line’, games evenings and more. Some students come to everything. One medical researcher even attends these Zoom gatherings wearing his lab coat and mask, just to make connection with ‘the outside world’. A Kenyan returnee joins us for the Tuesday evening Zoom Bible Study because he misses the fellowship he was used to.

The courage and tenacity of international students who have still chosen to travel to the UK despite all the limitations and loneliness is truly impressive.

Do be in touch with your stories of Caring in Covid Times across educational, health, community and all faith groups. Email us at development.office@spc.ox.ac.uk

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THE OXFORD VACCINE TRIALS:

A VIEW FROM THE FRONT WHEN COVID-19 HIT, DR SUSANNE HODGSON, RESEARCH FELLOW AND LECTURER IN CLINICAL MEDICINE AT ST PETER’S, HAD TO DECIDE WHETHER TO RETURN FULL-TIME TO WORKING AS A DOCTOR AT THE JOHN RADCLIFFE HOSPITAL IN OXFORD OR JOIN THE NEW OXFORD COVID VACCINE PROGRAMME.

‘The collaboration was unprecedented. Over 250 experienced vaccinology specialists came together to work on this vaccine.’

Opposite page: Dr Susanne Hodgson

Below: Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine

It was astonishing. We had enough participants sign up in 24 hours, which is unheard of.

Trial participants were then monitored over time until a set number of people in the study were diagnosed with Covid-19.

‘We had a large study including more than 20,000 trial participants in the UK and abroad.

When we reached a predetermined number of infected study participants a statistician would unblind the data and see which vaccine the affected individuals had received.’

Thankfully the data clearly showed more cases in the group that had received the control vaccines, showing the Covid vaccine worked.

While working on the vaccine trial, Dr Hodgson was still working on-call as a doctor.

‘It was astonishing. We had enough participants sign up within days, which is unheard of.’

‘Because I was doing the trials, I wasn’t in hospital as much as some of my colleagues.

There was concern about exposure to the virus, but everyone carried on because that is what you do when you work in a hospital.

‘It was a very rigorous process. No corners were cut. It happened because there was a commitment from all parties to move quickly and dedicate resources.’

I would go to the hospital in my clothes, get changed into my scrubs, do my shift, come home, get to the door, go straight up to the shower. When I got to my front door, my children

When the call went out for trial participants, the public responded in their droves.

would hear me and run to greet me. I had to tell them not to come too close, which they found hard to understand.’

Dr Hodgson has now returned to her work in clinical medicine, but she tells us that the Oxford vaccine research group is working hard looking at new variants and vaccines to combat them.

‘I didn’t think we would be in this position with this many vaccines, all showing high levels of effectiveness.

Throughout this pandemic, vaccine development has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. This is not only going to help with Covid. Hopefully, what we are learning will help us design better vaccines in the future for other diseases too.’

Dr Susanne Hodgson is a Research Fellow and Lecturer in Clinical Medicine at St Peter’s College and an NIHR Academic Lecturer in Infectious Diseases at the University of Oxford. She also works as a physician specialising in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology based at the Oxford University Hospitals.

Working with colleagues, Dr Hodgson helped design the study to ensure that the team collected the right data.

‘This was vital for determining whether the vaccine actually worked.’

Dr Susanne Hodgson is a Research Fellow and Lecturer in Clinical Medicine at St Peter’s College.

Her interest in medicine had begun in secondary school, and she had qualified as a doctor in 2004.

‘I was particularly interested in infection and immunity, so I decided to specialise as an infectious diseases doctor.’

Fast forward to March 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic looming, and Dr Hodgson had a decision to make. She could temporarily leave her own research and go back to hospital to work as a fulltime doctor, or she could use her knowledge of clinical trials to help to assess the new Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University.

Knowing where she could be most useful she joined the team working on the Oxford vaccine.

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They proceeded with a randomised controlled trial – the gold standard for testing vaccine efficacy.

‘In a randomised trial you give half the participants the vaccine you are testing and you give the other half either a placebo or a control vaccine.’

Neither the participants nor clinicians were told who had received which vaccine.

‘If you knew you had received the Covid vaccine, perhaps that might change your behaviour meaning you might be more likely to be exposed to Covid which could bias the results.

Likewise, the staff did not know what vaccine each participant had received, so we would not be biased when we interpreted their data.’

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RESTORATION AND RENEWAL DR ROGER ALLEN, EMERITUS FELLOW IN MUSIC, AND QUINTIN BEER, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC, TALK TO US ABOUT THE RESTORATION OF OUR HISTORIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. DR ROGER ALLEN, EMERITUS FELLOW IN MUSIC It is a remarkable feature of the church of St Peterle-Bailey, now St Peter’s College Chapel, that it still possesses the original organ installed in 1875 by the master Victorian craftsman Father Henry Willis (1821–1901). Apart from some minor alterations in 1889 by the local firm of Martin (which included the addition of the large pedal pipes that form such an impressive backdrop to the north aisle), the organ remains substantially as built. Although possessing a modest tally of only 18 stops, it has all the grandeur and tonal variety of a much larger instrument. The original pipework, mechanical key and stop action, and even the hand-blowing equipment, are all still in place.

By the mid-1980s and after more than a century of use, even Willis’s solid craftsmanship proved mortal, and the organ had deteriorated to a point where it was scarcely playable. The decision was therefore taken, in accordance with prevailing fashions in organ-building, to install a modern ‘baroque-style’ replacement in the north aisle, while the Willis was left to slumber undisturbed in its cavern adjoining the vestry. This second instrument, however, proved unsatisfactory, and in the early 2000s it was agreed that the most appropriate course of action was to arouse the Willis ‘as one out of sleep, like a giant refreshed with wine’. There followed a determined fundraising campaign, spearheaded by redoubtable alumni Ralph Rolls and Teddy Thomas, the success of which enabled the college to commission Nicholson’s of Malvern to carry out a full restoration in accordance with the organ’s by now considerable historic significance. The opening recital was given to great acclaim in April 2003 by the organist of F J Chavasse’s ‘other’ foundation, Ian Tracey of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

By early 2020 it was evident that after nearly two decades of hard and continuous use a routine clean

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Opposite page: Original Willis flue pipes of 1875 laid out on the chapel floor for cleaning and refurbishment

Below top: Large pedal pipes added by Martin in 1889 partially removed showing interior arrangement of Willis pipework

QUINTIN BEER, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC We are extremely fortunate at St Peter’s to be in possession of a Blüthner Style V Grand Piano.

Blüthner’s pianos are generally favoured by pianists who appreciate a softer and more dolce quality of sound from the instrument, in comparison to the more versatile Steinway or Bösendorfer models.

Repertoire from the Romantic and Impressionist eras is therefore the Blüthner’s natural bedfellow.

Below bottom: Alumnus John Warner plays the newly restored Blüthner

My thanks go to Emeritus Fellow Dr Roger Allen for his thorough oversight of all the restoration of this cherished instrument.

However, since the piano has been returned to College, students have been playing Haydn and Handel on it with similarly stunning results. The refurbishment work was carried out by Piano Restorations in Buckinghamshire, a workshop with a long history of maintaining and restoring Blüthner pianos.

and overhaul was needed, not least to remove the accumulated layers of the kind of dust that only ecclesiastical buildings seem to generate.

This work was duly carried out during the Easter vacation of 2021 and the Willis is now good for another 20 years of service as one of College’s most admired historic artefacts.

The re-stringing and new hammers on our model make for a beautifully even sound throughout the instrument’s range. Aspects cosmetic, such as polish, buffing and brass lacquer make the instrument appealing to the eyes as well as the ears.

The restoration was made possible in large part by a generous bequest from the late Dr John Bithell (1939–2020), Tutor and Fellow in Biomathematics (1976–2004).

The chapel is also fortunate in that it possesses a three-stop chamber organ, generously donated in 2012 by former Chaplain the late Revd Christopher Jones in memory of Professor John Barron (Master, 1992–2003). This superb instrument, designed and built by Nicholson’s to complement the Willis, also received a running overhaul, involving regulation of the action and lowering of the previously sharp pitch. Last, but by no means least, the treasured but timeworn vintage Blüthner grand piano has been beautifully restored in memory of much-loved Emeritus Fellow and lifelong supporter of College music, the late Dr John Bithell.

In the words of one recent music student, these instruments ‘form the sonic identity of St Peter’s’.

Taken together the two organs, the grand piano and the Goble harpsichord (1986) form a collection of rare historic and artistic significance of which College can be justly proud.

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GIVING BACK WE TALK TO TARA GLEN (ENGINEERING SCIENCE, 1988) ABOUT WHY SHE SUPPORTS ENGINEERING AT ST PETER’S.

Opposite page: Tara Glen Below: Attendees of the Engineering Dinner, February 2020

Below right: St Peter’s College 1990 Ball survivors photo

Engineering is about solving the world’s problems, and I am passionate about us producing more excellent engineers

and skills in maths and physics, engineering comes naturally.’

While studying at St Peter’s, Tara was taught by Professor John O’Connor, Dr Stuart Turnbull and Dr John Bithell. ‘My tutors were fantastic, and my tutorial experiences were unique and inspiring.’ She says. ‘They were teaching us to think for ourselves.

Moving forward in life is about solving problems.

These experiences make you unfazed by problems when you go out into the real world.’

When asked about what other experiences define her time at St Peter’s, she says ‘A very close second to my tutorials is the friends I made. We were partners in crime, and we shared life experiences.

Thirty years on, we’re all still very good friends.’

It is a warm, bright day in May when we invite Tara Glen to St Peter’s to interview her for Cross Keys.

As we make our way through Linton Quad, Tara recalls the day she arrived at St Peter’s.

‘I was completely clueless! None of my family had been to university. We thought of Oxford as posh, so I turned up in smart clothes carrying a tray of Diet Coke’, she says. ‘Then someone in jeans and a t-shirt came over to me. They told me I didn’t need all that Diet Coke because St Peter’s has a bar!

St Peter’s has always been this incredibly friendly place. That’s what I feel when I come back here. It makes people feel very welcome, and not daunted by the fact that it is Oxford.’

As we turn the corner and stroll past the Chapel, she tells us how she came to study engineering.

‘At one stage, I wanted to be a fine artist, but I was also good at maths and physics. My father was also involved with powerboat racing. I desperately wanted to race, but I was told it was too dangerous.

I thought I’d find out how to run my own boat, which is of course engineering. I got the bug at a young age and decided that I wanted to learn. If you combine an interest in creativity and racing

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Tara has been donating regularly to Engineering at St Peter’s since 2009. When asked why she gives, she tells us ‘Engineering is about solving the world’s problems, and I am passionate about us producing more excellent engineers.’

With this in mind, Tara works closely with Professor Tom Adcock, a fellow St Peter’s alumnus (Engineering Science, 2001), and now Tutorial Fellow in Engineering Science at St Peter’s. ‘I asked Tom what I could do to help. He told me that for Engineering at St Peter’s to be successful, we need to find a way to attract the best minds who might otherwise be attracted to one of the bigger colleges and to be those students’ first choice of college. To do that, St Peter’s needs to distinguish itself from the more famous colleges.’

Professor Adcock devised an outreach programme for engineers, which Tara supports. ‘That’s what I want to help with. We’re getting the brightest minds to think not only about engineering, but specifically engineering at St Peter’s.’

This year the outreach programme’s events took place online, but in previous years, the programme has supported train fares, food, and accommodation for prospective St Peter’s Engineering students. ‘Making sure everybody feels welcome to apply to Oxford is so important,’

she says. Their efforts have paid off, and this year most of those who were accepted for Engineering had listed St Peter’s as their first choice. ‘It’s a great reflection on the programme and everyone who has contributed to is,’ she says.

Tara also supports the annual St Peter’s Engineering Dinner. ‘I wanted to have a fun reason for Engineering alumni to come back, mix with current students and give them an opportunity to see what career paths are available. The Engineering Dinner really manages to do this.’

Tara is particularly interested in getting women into engineering and other STEM subjects. ‘That goes without saying!’ she says. ‘At present, 42% of the engineers at St Peter’s are female, compared to 27% university-wide.’ When asked why this is important, she responded, ‘The world is facing a lot of problems, and you are going to get a better solution to a problem if you have a diverse group of people working on it. It is as simple as that.’

As we sit underneath the handkerchief tree in Hannington Quad, Tara recalls her memories of helping to organise the College ball in the early 1990s. ‘When I was here, Hannington Quad was just

a lawn, and we had a bouncy castle on it and the survivors photo well after dawn.’ She says. ‘Because I was good at numbers, I did the finances. There hadn’t been [a College ball at St Peter’s] in a long time, and it was great to get it going again.’

As our discussion draws to a close, Tara shares a final thought with us. ‘I have such fond memories of St Peter’s. As well as the career it sets you up for, I have made lifelong friends here. That’s why I’m happy to be in a position to support it.’

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THE MAKING OF

AN OXFORD MASCOT DR RICHARD ALLEN, ARCHIVIST AND RESEARCH FELLOW Think of St Peter’s. Now think of an animal.

Anyone reading this not familiar with College will be wondering, ‘OK, now what?’ Everyone else should, I hope, be picturing a small, furry rodent whose name, given our historic links with Merseyside, rather appropriately rhymes with Wirral.

Small, fluffy-tailed, and now sadly something of a rare sight, Britain’s native red squirrel has become as much a part of St Peter’s as crossed keys, green and gold, automatic lodge doors, and having a long-standing friendly rivalry with Teddy Hall.

But how long has the squirrel been our mascot and what are its origins? These are simple questions and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the answers would be equally straightforward. The truth,

however, is slightly more complicated, not least because, having posed myself the question, I was a little uncertain how to go about answering it. After all, as much as I’d like to tell you that the Archives have a section (or fonds, to use the technical term) dedicated to squirrels, the sad truth is that they do not, while combing through documents looking for chance mentions was an automatic non-starter.

Mascots are, of course, synonymous with sports and so I decided to turn first to our team photographs. A student-cum-squirrel is now a regular feature on the touchline at College matches and ‘Peter the Squirrel’ is now an elected position on the JCR Committee. Meanwhile, St Peter’s athletes have been photographed holding all manner of things over the years. These have included a skull (Boat Club, 1956), a flintlock musket (Rugby Club, 1958), a pint of beer and a banana (Tennis, 1969), and even the occasional trophy, but never, as far as I can tell, a squirrel. In fact, the closest one gets is a member of the 1962 Squash team wearing a University Squash and Racquets Club jumper emblazoned with a squirrel motif (the OUSRC men’s 2s squad is nicknamed the ‘Squirrels’).

Except for very recent examples, I likewise drew a blank with regards to photographs of our University Challenge teams and JCR informal group shots, as well as our old posters, flyers, and guidebooks. Even past issues of this magazine, formerly a student publication, and its various predecessors (Aurora, Potboiler, The TP, and The

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Opposite: The Chapel’s east window – a memorial to our first Master, Christopher Chavasse

Below Right: Christopher Chavasse feeding a squirrel

[ahem] Peterphile), were surprisingly squirrel-less for the period before 2006.

I therefore began to worry. Was our beloved mascot nothing more than that worst of Oxford things, a very recent invented tradition? (I’m looking at you, ‘trashing’.)

There is, of course, one very prominent image of a squirrel that has been part of College for almost 60 years. Installed in 1964, the chapel’s east window is a memorial to our first Master, Christopher Chavasse (1884–1962). It was designed by the celebrated stained glass artist, John Hayward (1929–2007), who filled his creation with visual references to Chavasse’s life, among them a coat of arms bordered on one side by a tortoise and the other by a squirrel. But why? According to Hayward’s remarks at the unveiling, it was not because the Chavasse arms included these rather unusual elements (although never put anything past heraldry) but rather a reference to the fact that Christopher Chavasse kept these animals as pets.

Britain’s native red squirrel has become as much a part of St Peter’s as crossed keys, green and gold, automatic lodge doors, and having a long-standing rivalry with Teddy Hall.

upon something they had previously skipped over, namely a 1935 newspaper photograph of Christopher Chavasse feeding – yes, you’ve guessed it – a squirrel. Was this the legendary pet of stained-glass fame? The accompanying caption describes what is shown as a ‘tame squirrel’ (another photo shows Chavasse feeding the abovementioned pigeons), but the article, with some true journalistic licence, is headlined ‘Oxford Principal’s Pets’. If word reached John Hayward that our first Master had once kept a domesticated squirrel, it is easy to imagine where such rumours began.

But this discovery still got me no closer to determining when we decided to adopt the squirrel as our mascot. And since I can’t spend all my time trying to solve this conundrum, I hand the task over to you, dear reader. So, if you have any information that can help me crack this particular nut (I’m here all week), I’d love to hear from you!

Now, I’d heard this before but had never properly followed it up. Did Christopher Chavasse, who was known during his days as Master for feeding flocks of pigeons at St Peter’s, also keep a pet squirrel? As chance would have it, I was then in correspondence with Mike Tiley (1965, Law), who came up to St Peter’s when the east window was but a year old.

Did he remember the squirrel as a mascot of the college or any link to it via Christopher Chavasse?

In true St Peter’s fashion, Mike went above and beyond, not only taking the time to contact some of his contemporaries (none of whom could remember any college mascot, let alone a squirrel one) but also getting in touch with Mary Chavasse, widow of John Chavasse (1945, History), youngest son of Christopher, to ask whether her father-in-law had ever kept a squirrel as a pet. The response: not as far as she could remember.

I was about to consider the matter at an impasse when another task took me back to one of our early scrapbooks. Leafing through, my eyes alighted

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Book your special event at St Peter’s College

RETURN TO ST PETER’S COLLEGE FOR YOUR CELEBRATION Birthdays Receptions Family occasions Stay in College Conferences and meetings St Peter’s, just a few minutes’ walk from the bus and railway stations, is well-positioned for all of Oxford’s attractions. We have excellent and flexible catering arrangements, a beautiful dining hall, a characterful range of accommodation and well-equipped meeting rooms.

Find out more or make a booking: phone 01865 278 464 envelope events@spc.ox.ac.uk www.spc.ox.ac.uk/conferences

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ST PETER’S, OXFORD:

FROM HALL TO COLLEGE

BY ERIC SMITH

Conceived as a companion to his 1978 book St Peter’s: The Founding of an Oxford College, Eric Smith’s second volume of St Peter’s history is a rare thing: a detailed account of the founding and early years of an Oxford college written by someone who was there. In it, Smith traces the development of St Peter’s from permanent private hall to full college, laying bare the challenges experienced by the early tutors, for whom political upheaval and personal tensions were never far away. The result is a work that not only brings to life a crucial period in the history of St Peter’s itself, but also that of the city and University of Oxford as a whole. Published to coincide with the college’s 90th Anniversary, Eric Smith’s St Peter’s, Oxford: From Hall to College is edited from the original manuscript by Dr Richard Allen, Archivist and Research Fellow.

St Peter’s, Oxford: From Hall to College (xvii, 315 p., 22 ill.) £10 + £2.50 P&P in the UK St Peter’s, Oxford: From Hall to College + St Peter’s: The Founding of an Oxford College £15 + £5.00 P&P in the UK

I was fortunate to have this kindly and meticulous man as tutor during the transition from Hall to College. Eric Smith’s fascinating historical account honestly relates some of the petty jealousies that bedevil academic life, but his care for people prohibited publication during their and his lifetime. Overall the book reflects the unassuming, but unstinting, dedication of the author to the values and the good of St Peter’s, for which many of us are deeply indebted.

- The Revd Dr Iain Whyte (1960)

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THE OXFORD STUDENT GRIEF NETWORK

MY FAVOURITE PLACE AT ST PETER’S IS…

STUDENTS LEWIS STUBLEY (BIOCHEMISTRY, 2019) AND JULIA MERVIS (GEOGRAPHY, 2017) TELL US HOW THEY ARE HELPING STUDENTS BATTLING GRIEF.

ST PETER’S PEOPLE TELL US THEIR FAVOURITE PLACE IN COLLEGE

In Michaelmas Term 2020, we each tragically and unexpectedly lost one of the closest and most meaningful relationships in our lives, a brother and a mother’s love respectively.

Grief is a difficult emotion to process and deal with even at the best of times. But couple that with being away from family, the unique stresses of Oxford’s term-time environment, and surrounded by young people, most of whom have never been through anything similar, the challenge can seem even greater. Despite the emotional struggles we suddenly found ourselves facing, being able to confide in a friend who was going through something similar really helped us get through the darkest days. Thus, in Hilary Term 2021 the idea for the Oxford Student Grief Network (OSGN) was born.

Our desire was to share the support that we both continue to feel and are immensely grateful for, and to normalise the all-consuming and devastating effects that battling grief can bring into our lives.

We have begun by hosting fortnightly Zoom meetings entitled ‘meet and grief’ as an introductory series; a chance to build the network, connect with our fellow students and have a chance to hear people’s stories. Everyone’s experience

of losing someone is different, but talking to people who have faced similar situations can be really significant and reassuring. So far we have touched on topics such as talking about loss, time and the stages of grief, and remembering. Our informal discussions are predominantly driven by the group’s participation and have so far been a resounding success.

In the future we hope to be able to move our discussion sessions to an in-person format as the virtual setup necessitated by the pandemic makes it harder to feel the human connections with each other so keenly. We have plans to collaborate with professionals who specialise in coping with grief, including a talk from a grief expert at the University’s Counselling Service.

Although this is a group that no one would want to have to be a part of, it is open to anyone who is experiencing any form of grief alongside their studies at Oxford. You can find out more, and even consider getting involved, by visiting our Facebook page: facebook.com/groups/ oxfordstudentgriefnetwork.

Darcy Dixon (Philosophy and Theology, 2019)

Mr Paul Irons, Head Porter at St Peter’s since 2006

Mine is the massive handkerchief tree with the benches beneath in Hannington quad.

Mine is the Lodge.

It is right in the centre of College and is a great place to sit after dinner, listen to music coming from the chapel, and to meet with friends – especially when it is sunny and bright, or dark with the illuminating lights making it even more exciting.

It’s the hub of the college. You get to meet everybody that comes through, and you get to know all the students.

Professor Tom Adcock (Engineering Science, 2001), Fellow and Tutor in Engineering Science since 2012 ‘My’ seat in the library (the seat on the first floor opposite the stairs looking over the Linton Quad) has special importance for me.

It was there that in the weeks leading up to Finals I transformed myself from a failing student to someone whose results put them on track for an academic career in Oxford.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE AT ST PETER’S? Email us at development.office@spc.ox.ac.uk to let us know which spot in College means the most to you.

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ALUMNI NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS Dr Denis Alexander (Biochemistry, 1964) In late 2020, Dr Denis Alexander (Biochemistry, 1964) published Are We Slaves to Our Genes?

(CUP 2020). The book is a robust defence of free will in the face of a creeping genetic determinism.

Are We Slaves to Our Genes? is available from the online shop at www.faraday.cam.ac.uk.

Dr Alexander was also awarded the Trotter Prize in 2020 by Texas A&M University – the pandemicdelayed endowed lecture is due to be given in late 2021.

Dr Robert Calderisi (PPE, 1968) In July 2021, Robert Calderisi published Cecil Rhodes and Other Statues: Dealing Plainly with the Past (Gatekeeper Press, 2021). This book sheds new light on a complicated story, relates the history of the Rhodes Scholarships, and suggests common-sense rules for commemorating contested figures as diverse as Robert E. Lee and Mahatma Gandhi. Cecil Rhodes and Other Statues is available on Amazon and other online retailers .

Dr Mark Carney (MPhil Economics, 1991) In March 2021, Dr Mark Carney published Value(s) (William Collins, 2021). The book examines how economic value and social values became blurred, how we went from living in a market economy to a market society, and how to rethink and rebuild before it’s too late. Value(s) is available at Waterstones.

Grace Beverley (Music, 2016) In her #1 Sunday Times Bestseller, Working Hard, Hardly Working (Hutchinson, 2021), entrepreneur and social media influencer Grace Beverley (Music, 2016) offers her take on how to create your own balance, be more productive and feel fulfilled.

Working Hard, Hardly Working is available at Waterstones.

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Denis Dobrovoda (PPE, 2010) In 2020, Denis Dobrovoda released Savage – a film he wrote and directed. The award-winning film tells the story of Mokonzi, a young Babangi man, who is brought to London to serve as a museum exhibit in a Victorian human zoo. You can view Savage at: https://vimeo.com/537708821

Cordelia Feldman (Modern History, 1998) In January 2021, Cordelia Feldman published her debut novel In Bloom (Dandelion Digital, 2021), a semiautobiographical account of one girl’s development of bipolar disorder. The book explores how the condition changes her understanding of herself and her future. It also offers frank and funny insights into the volatile nature of teenage friendships. In Bloom is available at Waterstones.

Dr Amanda Hsieh (MPhil Music, 2011) In July 2020, Amanda Hsieh was awarded the Jerome Roche Prize for her article ‘Lyrical Tension, Collective Voices: Masculinity in Alban Berg’s Wozzeck’, published in the Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 144/2 (2019), pp323–62.

She was also appointed Research Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong from February 2021.

Canon Brian Macdonald-Milne (Theology, 1981) In January 2020, Canon Brian Macdonald-Milne published Seeking Peace in the Pacific: The Story of Conflict and Christianity in the Central Solomon Islands (Christians Aware and The Melanesian Mission, 2020). The book explores the migration of people to the Solomon Islands, traditional conflicts, the coming of Europeans, the arrival of Christianity, the Second World War, and the resulting tensions.

In 2021, Canon Brian Macdonald-Milne celebrated the 60th anniversary of his priesting. The occasion was marked with a service on Trinity Sunday at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, UK where Canon

Macdonald-Milne presided and preached. As part of this special anniversary, he also preached at the Eucharist in Chapel on Pentecost Sunday at Corpus Christi College (where he is also an alumnus).

Seeking Peace in the Pacific is available on Amazon.

Kate Pangonis (English Language and Literature, 2013) In February 2021, Kate Pangonis published Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule (W&N, 2021).

The book explores the role played by women such as Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem and Eleanor of Aquitaine in the governing of the Middle East during periods of intense instability. Queens of Jerusalem is available at Waterstones.

Simon Piesse (Modern Languages, 1998) In January 2021, Simon Piesse published his collection of poetry, Olas: Journey into the Waves of Latin America (Independent, 2021). These evocative and original poems explore the fascinating continent of Latin America, from Lake Titicaca to the Atacama Desert. Simon’s next collection of poetry is entitled Golden Ring and is inspired by his attempt to walk around London during Covid-19. It is due to be published this summer. Both poetry collections are available on Amazon.

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Matthew Stewart (Modern Languages, 1991) In 2021, Matthew Stewart published two poems in the Spectator. ‘The Last Carry’ was published in January 2021 and ‘Grecian 2000’ was published in February 2021. Both poems can be found on the Spectator’s website: www.spectator.co.uk/ magazines/poems

Dr Robert Twycross (Physiological Sciences, 1959) In March 2021, Dr Robert Twycross completed 50 years in Hospice and Palliative Care, a career embracing research, patient care, teaching and writing. This year has also seen the publication of the sixth edition of Introducing Palliative Care (Pharmaceutical Press, 2021), now co-authored with two younger colleagues. Previous editions have been translated into Chinese, Japanese and Russian, and a special economy edition is available in the Indian subcontinent.

Revd Yaroslav Sky Walker (Theology, 2010) and Amy Pether (Theology, 2010) Revd Yaroslav Sky Walker and Amy Pether are delighted to announce the birth of their first child.

Elizaveta Yelena Adele Pether-Walker was born at precisely 9:30am on Sunday 24th January 2021.

SHARE YOUR NEWS WITH THE ST PETER’S COLLEGE ALUMNI COMMUNITY We are always happy to share the successes and milestones of our alumni. If you have some news that you would like to share in next year’s issue of Cross Keys, please get in touch. development.office@spc.ox.ac.uk

Sean Walls (Zoology, 1985) In January 2020, Sean Walls published The Common Buzzard (T & AD Poyser, 2020), a book he co-authored with Robert Kenward.

The book brings together a wealth of research on the species, providing an invaluable insight into exactly what has enabled the buzzard to return to old haunts to impress, inspire and connect people with nature.

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Water’s Edge Conversation. 2005 mixed media on canvas 122 x 122cm

Dr Kurt Jackson (Zoology, 1980) In June 2021, Kurt Jackson published Sea – a book that captures the beauty of his constantly evolving relationship with one of nature’s most challenging subjects. Two hundred colour images complement Jackson’s reflections on his interactions with inspirational coastal landscapes – largely experienced in his native Cornwall but stretching way beyond the county too. Sea is available from all good bookshops or from Jackson Foundation Gallery, St Just Cornwall TR19 7LB or online from Kurt Jackson Editions www.kurtjacksoneditions.com

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2021 Saturday 11th September Graduation Sunday 19th September Howard Society Lunch Saturday 25th September Graduation Wednesday 3rd November Alumni City Drinks Thursday 4th November ‘Carnival of the Animals’ Student Concert in Chapel

Saturday 12th March Rugby Dinner Saturday 26th March 1998–2001 Gaudy March – TBC Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races April - TBC Oxford Inter-Collegiate Golf Saturday 28th May Boat Club Dinner May - TBC Physics Dinner

Sunday 28th November Advent Carol Service

Saturday 11th June Women’s Gaudy

Thursday 2nd December Advent Carol Service

Wednesday 15th June Law Society Dinner

18th December Green and Gold Donor Circle Dinner

Sunday 19th June Benefactors’ Day

2022 January Mentoring Week

September - TBC 50th, 55th & 60th Anniversary Reunion Dinner September - TBC Howard Society Lunch

Tuesday 22nd February PPE Dinner February - TBC Engineering Dinner

Other dates will be added as the year progresses.

Events are, on occasion, subject to change. We please ask that you await further confirmation of events before booking travel or making arrangements. Thank you.

Please visit www.spc.ox.ac.uk for the most up-to-date details about our upcoming events, including online events.

For further information about any of these events or to book a place, please contact the Development and Alumni Relations Office: development.office@spc.ox.ac.uk +44 (0)1865 614984 24

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