Japan Office

One of Oxford’s most famous sights is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Hertford Bridge was completed in 1914. The distinctive landmark connects two parts of Hertford College over New College Lane and has a captivating design that is appreciated by photographers and film-makers as much as it is loved by students. The bridge is often affectionately called ‘The Bridge of Sighs’ due to its supposed resemblance to the famous landmark in Venice. In fact, it is much closer in design to the Rialto Bridge of the same city. Students from Hertford regularly use the bridge to get to different parts of the college. One famous Hertford alumnus who would have crossed the bridge in its early days is Evelyn Waugh, author of the great novel Brideshead Revisited. Waugh matriculated in 1922.

Hertford are holding a celebratory event on Saturday 28 September which will include TED-Talk-style speeches from Hertford academics, a keynote lecture about the history of the bridge, and a party in the OB Quad. Please see here for more details.

Several colleges are celebrating anniversaries this year, including both Balliol and Merton, who are celebrating their 750th anniversaries. Anniversaries are an excellent reason to return to your college, so please keep an eye on your college website to see when your college next has a big event.