Location
The Oxford Symposium is held at St. Catherine’s College. Opened in 1962, St. Catz is Oxford’s only Modernist College. Danish architect Arne Jacobsen designed its core buildings and their fittings, which are considered modern masterpieces and are protected by a Grade I architectural listing. The College lies close to the city centre, only a 10-15 minute walk from the Bodleian Library
Accommodations and Meals
Check in time at the Porters Lodge is from 2pm on your day of arrival; registration for the Symposium is also there from 2pm on Friday the 11th. Check out time is the same place by 10am on your day of departure, don’t forget to drop the key back when you are dropping your bags off at the ‘Left luggage’. The weekend at St Catz formally ends at 5 PM on Sunday: we have planned a very full programme and encourage all symposiasts to remain through the concluding plenary session.
All rooms are en-suite complete with towels & toiletries, full bed linen, basic tea & coffee making facilities.
Meals served in the pavilion dining room include drinks are designed to educate and highlight the Symposium topic, as well as being enjoyable, sustaining, and fostering conviviality. There’s no dress-code: just wear what makes you feel comfortable. There’s a chance – by no means a requirement – to dress up a little for our Friday and Saturday dinners. The informality of communal dining tables allows symposiasts to sit wherever they choose, to make new friends and revisit old friendships. Other opportunities to exchange news and views present themselves during the morning and afternoon coffee breaks, pre-dinner drinks and post-dinner rest and relaxation in the bar-area.
Updates for 2025
We look forward to welcoming you to St Catherine’s College to explore Food and the Elements, our theme of myriad interpretations. We have been working closely with our partners at St Catz to provide a stimulating weekend of discussions, superb and convivial meals, and generous opportunities to relax and connect with colleagues old and new, all in the OFS spirit.
Like 2024, this year’s meeting sites will take place in the new (and beautiful) temporary pavilions erected adjacent to the Hollywell Mill Stream while certain of the Arne Jacobsen buildings are undergoing essential renovations. These temporary facilities are air-conditioned, have the same A-V standards as the traditional rooms, are fully accessible by ramps or steps, and have brilliant glass walls that will allow us to look out over St Catz’s riverside green. The en-suite bedrooms remain unaffected and will be available for those choosing to stay at the College, and for the night owls, we will have a relocated bar space and open-air garden, so those sing-alongs, late night conversations, and proper libations will be available.
Be prepared to see a construction site around parts of the College, including near the Porter’s Lodge. We will need to observe pathways to and from some of the buildings, but we experienced minimal inconvenience last year and anticipate a comparable experience this year.
Further information about the St Catz renovations and a map of the campus (most of our activities will be in the area near the Hollywell Mill Stream) is available on the College website: https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/update-on-raac-at-st-catherines-college/ and
https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/prospective-students/explore-catz/
