Magdalen College School, Now Library

School, now public library. Built in 1484, with restorations in 1585, 1608, 1755, 1856, and the 20th century. Red brick with burnt brick diaper decoration and limestone ashlar dressings. Lead roof hidden behind high ashlar coped parapets. Two external stacks on the north wall, each with tall ornate polygonal 19th-century shafts—three on the right stack, two on the left. A plinth runs around the entire building.

The building is two storeys tall. The west front features two large octagonal three-storey angle towers: the left is a staircase tower, the right a bell tower. Both towers have moulded brick bands at first floor level and ashlar bands at second floor level. A central pointed ashlar-dressed doorway, restored in the 19th century, has a continuous moulded surround, hood mould, and plank door. The ground floor of the staircase tower has single staggered slit lights on each face and an east doorway, restored in the 19th century, with a flattened pointed head, continuous ashlar moulded surround, hood mould, and plank door. The ground floor of the bell tower has small rectangular windows to the north and east, each with brick moulded surround; the eastern window has a segmental relieving arch. At first floor, a central ashlar-dressed window (restored 19th century) has four pointed lights, panel tracery, bowtell moulded surround, and hood mould. The staircase tower's first floor has single staggered slit lights on alternate sides. The bell tower has a slit light to the north and a rectangular light to the south with inner pointed brick moulded head and casement. Ashlar eaves run above the central window. The third stage of the staircase tower has a slit light to the west and an east doorway giving access to the leads, with brick moulded doorway, flattened pointed head, and plank door. A similar doorway appears in the east of the bell turret, and on five of the other seven sides of the bell turret, each with single barely-pointed brick moulded openings with wooden slatted shutters.

The north front has six bays with rectangular windows featuring inner brick moulded pointed heads, casements, and 20th-century grills. One two-light window has a projecting stack beyond. Another two-light window has an ashlar-dressed doorway beyond, restored 19th century, with pointed head, continuous moulded surround, hood mould, and plank door. A projecting stack with diaper decoration stands beyond. Above are two brick moulded windows with inner shallow pointed heads and hood moulds. All windows have brick hood moulds and segmental relieving arches. Moulded ashlar eaves run above.

The east side has a large first-floor ashlar-dressed window (restored 19th century) with five pointed lights, panel tracery, bowtell moulded surround, and hood mould. A 20th-century fire escape leads up to a small doorway set within one of the lights. Moulded ashlar eaves are above.

The south side has two windows to the right with depressed segmental heads, two moulded brick triangular-headed lights, casements, and 20th-century grills. A small 15th-century lean-to to the left has a small square glazing-bar fixed window with brick moulded surround. Two single-light rectangular windows to the left have depressed pointed inner heads and segmental relieving arches with glazing-bar lights. A 20th-century brick and glazed lean-to masks two similar windows flanking a 19th-century ashlar-dressed doorway with pointed head, continuous moulded surround, hood mould, and inner panelled door. Above are two two-light rectangular brick moulded windows to the right with triangular heads, casements, hood moulds, and relieving arches. Four similar single-light windows stand to the left.

Interior: An inner lobby contains single doorways giving access to both towers. The doorway to the bell tower is 19th-century, pointed, with panel door. The doorway to the stair tower is 15th-century with an almost semi-circular head and plank door. The staircase has ashlar steps and brick moulded steps to the top storey. The first two storeys have a painted moulded brick handrail embedded in the wall with 19th-century panelling in the lobby. The ground floor main room has large chamfered beams with triangular stops and a 20th-century inglenook fireplace. The upper room has 19th-century brattished panelled dado. Two ornate 19th-century fireplaces have segmental heads flanked by angel busts, traceried spandrels, and shields above with beribboned inscriptions reading "Sicut lilium", rich foliate decoration, and brattished bands above. A large panelled reading desk stands in this room. The 19th-century tie beam roof has ornate foliate bosses and head corbels.

Historical context: The school was built by William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, to provide scholars for his new foundation at Magdalen College, Oxford. The building is scheduled as an Ancient Monument, No. 321.