The Oxonian’s life is a tumultuous one. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant onslaught of society meetings, sports, and social events that we all spend our days frittering to and from. If we’re lucky, we might manage to spend the occasional hour or two actually doing our degrees. It might seem, to the untrained eye, that an Oxford student could never be lacking the perfect study spot. With the Bodleian library system containing over 100 libraries, surely the average undergraduate has no problem finding one to suit their academic purposes?

I, like many others, have always found great difficulty in finding the perfect library. Every library poses its own set of unique challenges. The Rad Cam is always too full. The Old Bod leaves me gasping for air. The Taylorian wouldn’t know a comfortable seat if it smacked it across the face. The Glink scares me. Only one institution sets itself apart from all the rest, like a shining beacon guiding me out of the dark: Tudor Pret.

Although not officially a part of the University, Tudor Pret serves as a satirical encapsulation of what it’s like to study here. The building itself (hence the name) is Grade II listed, dating back to the 15th century. Only in Oxford would a building older than most modern countries be used to house one of England’s premier vendors of over priced, underwhelming coffee. Studying in Tudor Pret is not a glam experience. It may be pretty on the outside, but the bathrooms stink. The tables are rickety. The music is just a bit too loud. Good luck trying to write your essay amongst the constant squawks emanating from the coffee-counter: ‘Iced latte with oat milk! Iced latte with almond milk! Iced latte with soy milk!’ Now that Pret has announced the official retirement of its iconic 30 pound a month subscription service (RIP), it may even be on its way to becoming an obsolete institution.

Despite its many flaws, we flock to that Tudor building, preferring it over the many, many, purpose-built libraries we have at our disposal. There is just something about overpriced, mediocre pastries and sugary coffee that draws us in. Paradoxically, some of my best work has been done in Tudor Pret. In an environment seemingly designed to be as hostile to productivity as possible, I thrive. It may be old, it may be falling apart, and it may rip me off several times a week, but it’s an institution. It’s always been there. It’s always been like this, and like this it will stay. There is dignity in constancy. Wait— am I talking about Pret or the University now?

Maybe that’s what draws us to Tudor Pret—     it’s an absurd place at the heart of an absurd University. After all, there is always comfort in the familiar. Is my coffee order getting mixed up with someone else’s really so different to the England oldest University registering me, a Law student, for Biology finals (true story)? It’s always baffled me that an institution capable of churning out the world’s best scientific research is unable to provide most of its students with a centralised timetable, or a wifi system that actually works. Similarly, it’s a bit baffling that students regularly choose Tudor Pret over what are arguably some of the world’s nicest libraries. Sometimes, though, libraries just don’t quite cut it. It’s Tudor Pret that encapsulates Oxford’s true essence: old, beautifully disorganised, and falling just a little bit apart.  ∎

Words by Kalina Hagen. Image courtesy of Alice Robey-Cave.