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Archie and the Poet

An exhibition by The Betjeman Society, The Oxfordshire Museum, and Magdalen College

On 18th and 19th September 2025, Magdalen College was honoured to welcome John Betjeman’s teddy bear, Archibald Ormsby-Gore, to the Old Library.

Archie visited for a Betjeman Society symposium marking 100 years since Betjeman began his undergraduate studies at Magdalen. Archie was joined by his friends, Jumbo and Ted, and by a fascinating selection of materials illuminating Betjeman’s career.

Here you can enjoy the displays again or discover Archie for the first time.

A young John Betjeman with Archie