NEWS

From Henry VIII to Hogwarts

21 November 2006

Third Millennium launched today a major new illustrated publication entitled Christ Church, Oxford - A Portrait of the House.

Christ Church, whose college chapel is also Oxford’s cathedral, is universally known as ‘the House’. Christ Church, Oxford - A Portrait of the House is the first book-length treatment of the college for nearly 40 years. The portrait highlights great events and famous individuals in a richly-illustrated account of five centuries of life and learning.

This new publication presents a panorama of Christ Church, its history, and its character. The story of the House is one of drama, conflict and influence, from the quarrel between Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey that shaped its foundation to the backdrop for confrontation between Charles I and Parliament. Christ Church has produced no fewer than 13 British prime ministers.

The portrait also reveals a more intimate, human side to Christ Church. Woven into the narrative are memories and anecdotes from college members past and present. The details are sometimes humorous, sometimes scandalous but always fascinating.

The book is filled with diverse information, from the weight of Great Tom Bell to the source of the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland’s extending neck. It discloses the story behind the college’s decision to admit women undergraduates in 1980 and the contents of a poem written by Einstein in the visitors’ book in 1931. Readers can learn about the role played by turtle soup in nearly two centuries of college culinary history and uncover the controversy that almost led to a road being built across the Christ Church Meadows.

The book’s Editor and Oxford University Professor of English Language and Literature, Christopher Butler, commented: “Christ Church, Oxford - A Portrait of the House brings together differing perspectives to express great affection for the House. It combines a remarkable history with pictures and specially-commissioned photographs that convey the great beauty of the college’s buildings and works of art. Christ Church is a community, where the life of student and teacher is as vigorous now as it ever has been.”

Professor Butler, who is also Tutor in English at the House, continued: “Christ Church figures in literature in curious ways – in the fantasy and humour of Lewis Carroll, as a setting for Evelyn Waugh’s picture of a Golden Age of Oxford in Brideshead Revisited, and more recently as the film location for another world-famous educational institution, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. But beyond the Oxford myths, the eccentricities of dons, and the splendid architectural heritage, there is a fascinating day-to-day continuity, which can be traced in the college archives.”

The production of Christ Church, Oxford - A Portrait of the House was first announced by the television presenter and Houseman, David Dimbleby in June 2005. Alumni were invited to send in their memoirs or memorabilia, 85 of which are included in the book. There are articles from, among others, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Lawson, former Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher, and Jan Morris, the travel writer. The oldest contributor is 105 years old.

Christ Church, Oxford - A Portrait of the House is the first Oxford college book produced by Third Millennium Publishing who specialise in publishing and design for the art and heritage markets. Third Millennium Publishing is currently working on book projects with a number of leading UK schools, Oxford and Cambridge colleges, UK universities (including a celebratory volume on the 800th anniversary of Cambridge University), and museums and galleries in the United States and Great Britain.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Imprint: Third Millennium Publishing, London.
Editor: Professor Christopher Butler Managing Editor: Fiona Holdsworth
Publication date: 21 November 2006 / RRP: £45 / ISBN: 1 903942 46 2
Specification: Hardback, 212 pages, 280x240 mm portrait, over 200 images in colour and b/w, printed in colour throughout
Review copy requests: Contact Michael Jackson, Third Millennium Publishing on 020 7336 0144 / mj@tmiltd.com / www.tmiltd.com
Launch event: 6-9pm on 21st November in Christ Church. Attendance requests, contact Sarah Thomas, Christ Church on 01865 286598 / sarah.thomas@chch.ox.ac.uk

For further information contact Michael D Jackson, Marketing Manager, Third Millennium Information Ltd, 2-5 Benjamin St, EC1M 5QL. Tel: +44 (0)207 336 0144. Email: mj@tmiltd.com. Website: www.tmiltd.com