[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] The College is part of University of Oxford and students are [PARA]entitled to use its facilities.[EBOLD][PARA]Merton is [ITAL]one of Oxford's prettier colleges (and claims to be the [PARA]oldest),[EITAL] 600 yards from Carfax, with [ITAL]magical [EITAL]gardens (where [PARA]Tolkien wrote 'Lord of the Rings'), a [ITAL]beautiful [EITAL]chapel and [ITAL]bizarre [EITAL][PARA]gargoyles.[ITAL] [EITAL]The Mob Quad is the oldest quad in Oxford and home[PARA]of the library (the oldest in England), which is supposedly haunted[PARA]and contain Chaucer's Astrolabe. [ITAL]Merton is a gourmet's paradise[EITAL][PARA], employing a top chef[ITAL]. [EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL]Friendly [EITAL]bar; student bands and fortnightly bops in JCR (cap 200); [PARA]Winter Ball; [ITAL]strong [EITAL]Choral Society; the University Drama Society [ITAL][PARA]attracts many thesps. [EITAL]Interdenominational chapel. Sports [PARA]facilities (10mins walk) shared with [ULNE]Mansfield College[EULNE]; [ITAL]Women's [PARA]rowing, fencing and American football are strong, as is ballroom [PARA]dancing; emphasis on sports participation rather than [PARA]achievement. [EITAL]Everyone lives in; many [ITAL]elegant [EITAL]rooms. Shared [PARA]doctor and nurse; hardship fund.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Roger Bannister (the original 4-minute miler); Frank Bough [PARA](sports presenter and sherbert-dipper); T S Eliot (poet); Kris [PARA]Kristofferson (singer); Jeremy Isaacs (Chairman of Royal Opera);[PARA]Robert Morley (actor); Crown Prince Naruhito (Japanese heir [PARA]apparent); John Wycliffe (theologian).
