Weather vanes in Oxford

Weather Vanes and Weathercocks in Oxford

Weather Vanes

A vane is “a plate of metal, usually of an ornamental form, fixed at an elevation upon a vertical spindle, so as to turn readily with the wind”. The original word (now obsolete) was “fane”, meaning a flag, banner, or pennant, and many of the vanes below have a pennant. The pointer showing the direction from which the wind is blowing is usually an arrow, but it is an ox's nose on five Oxford Corporation (Council) ones and an elephant's trunk on the old Indian Institute. Some of the arrows appear to be missing.

The weather vanes with cockerels are shown together at the end

The dates that some of the buildings below opened are given below, but it is likely that some of the weather vanes
are replacements: an earlier cockerel at Carfax, for instance, blew down and was destroyed in 1920

Balliol College: chapel Broad Street	Brasenose College Viewed from the High Street	Central Boys' School (former) Gloucester Green (1996: pic)
Central Girls' School (former) New Inn Hall Street	Christ Church: Tom Tower From Christ Church Meadow	Christ Church: Cathedral St Aldate's
Examination Schools of 1882 As well as the main weather vane on the cupola over the High Street entrance (right), there are at least seven smaller ones facing Merton Street, five of which can be seen in this photograph
East Oxford Board Schools of 1900 Collins Street	Florence Park (1936) 94 Cornwallis Road	Green Templeton College (2008) Woodstock Road
Gloucester Green and Worcester Street: Seven weather vanes on this 1990s development
Harris Manchester College (2013) Mansfield Road	Headington Hill Hall: Mansion (1858) Oxford Brookes	Headington Hill Hall: Dairy Middle Lodge, Headington Hill
Headington School, Oxford (1930) “HSO”, Headington Road	Hertford College (octagonal chapel) Catte Street (acquired 1924)	Hertford College chapel of 1908 Viewed from Radcliffe Square
Iffley Church Hall Church Way, Iffley	Indian Institute (former) of 1884 Broad Street (see close-up)	Jesus College Turl Street
Jesus College: Stevens Close of 1976 Woodstock Road	Johnson's Used Cars 234 Botley Road	Lincoln College Viewed from Turl Street
Magdalen College The four copper weather vanes on the tower (second from left) were recently restored and regilded in real gold leaf by the Historic Metalwork Conservation Company, with rope access provided by Wallwalkers Ltd Two other finials on the college that appear to be weather vanes (left and right) show the Magdalen coat of arms and a lily
Merton College Chapel, Merton Street: a vane on each of the four corners of the tower
Lloyds Bank Carfax	Lucy's Walton Well Road	New College Robinson Tower Viewed from Mansfield Road
Nuffield College (1958 charter) New Road	Oxford Union Society St Michael Street	St Aldate's Street, No. 94 (George and Danvers Ice-Cream)
St Andrew's Church Old Headington	St Anne's College Woodstock Road	St Cross Church (former) St Cross Road
St Giles' Church St Giles' Street	SS Mary & John School (former) Hertford Street	St John's College St Giles'
Sheldonian Theatre Broad Street	Trinity College: Kettell Hall (three vanes) Broad Street
Town Hall of 1897 St Aldate's	University College: Goodhart Building, Logic Lane	University College cricket pavilion and groundsman's cottage of 1914 Opposite 232 Abingdon Road
Victoria Fountain of 1899 The Plain	Wadham College Parks Road	Warneford Hospital Headington
	Right: The weather vane on St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church disappeared in 2025. This detail was taken from a photograph by Stephen Craven	St Michael-at-Northgate Church* Cornmarket

Weathercocks

A weathercock was originally a vane in the form of a cock that turns with its head to the wind, but today the term is often used to describe a vane of any form. In the ninth century Pope Nicholas I ordered that cockerels must be displayed on all churches as a reminder of Peter's denial and repentance, and they are still very common on churches today

Boys' High School (former) of 1881 George Street	Carfax Tower (St Martin's Church) Carfax (weathercock replaced in 1920)	Cricket Pavilion of 1881 University Parks
Greyfriars RC Church of 1911 Iffley Road	Holy Trinity Church Headington Quarry	Keble College Parks Road
Oxford High School (1879 site) 21 Banbury Road	St Aldate's Church St Aldate's Street	St Antony's College (former convent of 1868, Woodstock Road
St Ebbe's Church Pennyfarthing Place	St John the Evangelist Church Vicarage Road (1896)	St Mary Magdalen Church Magdalen Street
St Mary the Virgin Church High Street	Ss Philip & James Church (former) Woodstock Road (1862)	St Thomas the Martyr Church Becket Street
Wesley Memorial Church of 1878 New Inn Hall Street	All Saints' Church (former), High Street: This had a cockerel in 1832 (left), but appears to have streamers today (right)
At least seven of the above weather vanes can be seen in this view from the top of the Westgate Centre

Weather vanes not visible from the street: A small selection

Magdalen College inside
Magdalen College:
“W” for “Waynflete” on
the Old Grammar Hall

There are many weather vanes that are only visible from inside colleges and schools. These include:

Dragon School: Pre-Prep Department, Richards Lane

Jesus College: The cockerel on the Ship Street tower (presented by Dr Keith Cox in 1999)

St Edward's School: The cockerel on the chapel

Lady Margaret Hall: arrow with pennant

All Souls College weather vane
All Souls College:
Winged figure on top of the
sundial on the college library

Weather vanes on private houses

Some private houses in Oxford also have weather vanes.
Here is just one example of the rather fine one on Sundial House, Littlemore (which also has a sundial)