New College Cloisters: The Malfoy Ferret Courtyard
Why is it significant?
Step into the cool stone passageways of New College Cloisters and look through the arched tracery at that enormous gnarled holm oak tree dominating the central courtyard.
Key Facts
| Place | New College Cloisters: The Malfoy Ferret Courtyard |
|---|---|
| Address | Holywell St, Oxford OX1 3BN |
| Geo Coordinates | 51.75510, -1.25290 |
| Part of Walk | Oxford Legends: Hogwarts Cloisters, Alice's River & Inklings Pubs |
| Generated | Generated |
Step into the cool stone passageways of New College Cloisters and look through the arched tracery at that enormous gnarled holm oak tree dominating the central courtyard. Despite its name, New College was founded in thirteen seventy-nine by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, making its tranquil quadrangle and cloisters well over six hundred years old.
Do you recognize that sprawling oak tree from the cinema? In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this exact courtyard was the setting for one of the most celebrated scenes in the series. Draco Malfoy sat perched arrogantly on a branch of this very oak taunting Harry about the Triwizard Tournament.
As Malfoy attempts to cast a spell behind Harry's back, Professor Alastor Mad-Eye Moody, secretly Barty Crouch Junior, points his staff and shouts: I will teach you to curse someone when their back is turned! With a flash of magic, he transforms the terrified Malfoy into a squealing white ferret and bounces him merrily up and down across these stone flagstones.
Beyond movie magic, these quiet cloisters preserve the medieval heart of the college. The cloisters were originally used for monastic processions, and in sixteen forty-two, King Charles the First used them to store gunpowder and military uniforms during the English Civil War. Today, shaded by the ancient oak, they remain an untouched oasis of peace.