The Crosier

It is completely worth the 2 pounds admittance to see the beautiful quadrangle and chapel at New College of Oxford University in Oxford England.

There are some really incredible things to see. Even the small, winding street that lead to the front gate of the campus is charming. Despite the bike lane yellow lines and the tourist types wandering these small side streets you still feel immersed in the old world feel of the city.

The college is probably most well known for the Bridge of Sighs which crosses over New College Lane and connects two portions of Hertford College.


New College, which was founded by William of Wykeham in 1379, piqued my particular interests when I entered the chapel. Within the chapel is the crosier of William of Wykeham, who presided over New College as Bishop after it was as established. A crosier is the staff which the bishop carries and resembles a shepherd's cane that has fallen into a bucket of awesome and then adorned with some of the most rediculously heavy ornamentation and sharp edges. It is unlikely that any innocent little lamb would survive evisceration of the throat or spontaneous compustion upon contact with the surely magical item. I so incredibly wished I could have taken a photo of this thing but there was no photography permitted within the chapel of New College. Furthermore, despite all my faith in Google's infamous image search I was unable to turn up any photographs snapped by anyone, or even an adequate illustration. I am unsure why I am somewhat obsessed with this fancy man of God's crosier, but I have an overwhelming desire to share it with everyone. Unfortunately, this post falls short of its initial intention.

Check back later in the week for another update on my Oxford adventures!