Oriel College, University of Oxford

New artwork has been added to First Quad this week to mark Oriel M1's Summer Eights Headship 🎨

Mural created by Thea Hughes.

Clinical Medicine DPhil student Kyle Ferguson has been awarded this year’s Elis White Memorial Trophy for most improved rower 🏆

“It feels fantastic to get some recognition for all the hard work I put in,” he said.

“Being part of the rowing club has been one of the most rewarding things about my time here at Oxford and probably defined my time here at Oxford as well.

“To do it in Oriel where we have such a great heritage and such a great culture of rowing, it's really special and it's something that's unique even amongst other Oxford colleges,” said the M1 rower.

“For anyone that is thinking of applying or has an offer from Oriel, I would absolutely 100% encourage you to try rowing.

“There's no better place to try it, and I am proof that you can come in an absolute novice and make it to the top.”

The Elis White Memorial Trophy was created in memory of Elis Rhisiart White (1984-2008), who studied PPE at Oriel from 2002 to 2005 and was an active member of the Oriel College Boat Club.

Image: Kyle Ferguson with Oriel College’s Provost Lord Mendoza.

Taking in Oriel drama group's performance of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' under the evening sky... 💫

Aerial view over Oxford ⛅️

📷 | umairatoxford (Instagram)

Six crews of Oriel alumni, students and staff have successfully completed the challenging 35-mile row from Ramsgate, England, to Dunkirk, France.

The crews of nine took between eight and 11 hours to complete the long-distance row, with most of them leaving Ramsgate in the early hours of the morning.

With the support of a pilot boat, they navigated the busiest shipping lane in the world, passing cargo vessels, cruise ships, ferries and, in the case of one crew, a Russian warship.

Image: Alumni row in front of the Russian navy’s RFN Admiral Grigorovich (background) on 8 May

Saturday, Summer Eights 2026 🚣