Oxford Gargoyles

Gargoyles and grotesques are a much-loved component of Oxford’s rich architectural heritage. They embody what Philip Pullman has described as “a long and proud tradition of rudeness, mischief and disobedience”. This pack, published by Chris Donaghue Photography, Oxford, reproduces 52 gargoyles and grotesques from both the colleges and the University buildings.

A gargoyle is essentially a decorative water spout or drainpipe intended to prevent rainwater from running down the face of a wall and causing damage. Grotesques, named for the exaggeration of expression in the carving, are intended simply to decorate. These cards show both categories.

Some of the characters they depict are mythic; some are based on real people. The oldest date back to the thirteenth century (Balliol College, 1263) and early fourteenth century (Exeter College, 1314; Oriel College, 1326) and the tradition of creating and adding new gargoyles continues to the present day. For example, in 2009 nine gargoyles designed by schoolchildren to celebrate Oxford’s cultural past and present were installed on the north-west face of the Bodleian Library – one of which was Sir Thomas Bodley, the library’s founder, and another was J.R.R. Tolkien. See the box►

Above: Oxford Gargoyles souvenir playing cards published by Chris Donaghue Photography, Oxford, UK.