NEW College choristers, lay fellows and Oxford residents resurrected a 16th century tradition which it is believed had not been performed for 450 years until yesterday at an Ascension Day service.
They attended the service at Bartlemas Chapel, off Bartlemas Close, in East Oxford, which was originally the chapel of a former leper hospital, before crossing Oriel College’s sports ground, laying flowers in their path, to the site of an ancient spring, where they sang the madrigal Hard by a Christall Fountaine.
Choir director Edward Higginbottom said he had been aware of the tradition for some time and had researched exactly how it was celebrated.
He said: “The atmosphere was festive and fun.
“You are often reminded that the university is one thing and the town is another – and this was one way of saying we very much belong to the same community.”
Chorister Hector Stinton, 12, from Walton Street, said: “There was almost electricity in the air because of the magnitude of what was happening. It was really exciting for me to be part of a tradition that hasn’t been exercised for 450 years.” Picture: Jon Lewis
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here