牛津麦克唐纳德鲁道夫度假酒店
MacDonald Randolph Hotel
www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/south-england/oxford/macdonald-randolph-hotel
哥特老店 精益求精
在知识界， 无人不晓牛津大学； 来过牛津大学的人， 也无人不知麦克唐纳德鲁道夫酒店（MacDonald Randolph Hotel）。说来话长，我在牛津上学的时候，就一直向往着有一天能够入住鲁道夫，倒不是因为这家酒店够贵气，而是因为这间酒店独特的历史。
牛津北部现在是中产阶级的聚集区。20世纪中叶，缅甸的反对派领导人昂山
素季就和在牛津大学任教的丈夫麦克尔住在这一带。当时，一位名叫威尔克森
（William Wilkinson）的建筑师开始小有名气。
威尔克森后来被相中，到今天的牛津市中心来设计一间酒店。不过，牛津人向
来矫情，喜欢就外观风格和内在装饰结构的合理性与可行性进行辩论。维多利亚时代主要的艺术评论家之一拉斯金（John Ruskin）认为哥特式的建筑甚为美观，正如鲁道夫旁边的阵亡烈士纪念碑那样。但哪怕是这么有名的一位艺术评论家，也无法一锤定音。牛津城市管理者说，根据城市规划，这间酒店应当是古典式，因为其所在的Beaumont街其他建筑是19世纪经典的摄政风格。
对话和交锋愈演愈烈。最终，双方都做出妥协：外观用简单的哥特式建筑，与
牛津大学博物馆和牛津学联相似，但以砖砌。至于内在装饰如何定局，现在已无从考证，因为几经转手后，无论格局还是装饰均改变了不少。
An Everimproving Old Gothic Hotel
In the intellectual circles, Oxford University is known to everybody, and for those who have been to Oxford University, MacDonald Randolph Hotel is known to everyone. In fact, I have been longing to stay in MacDonald Randolph Hotel since I was studying in Oxford. It is not because of the luxury it exhibits, but the unique history it conveys.
The middle class now live in the northern part of Oxford. In 20th century, Myanmar‘ s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi lived in this area with her husband Michael who taught at Oxford University. At that time, an architect named William Wilkinson began to become famous.
Wilkerson was later spotted and invited to design a hotel in today‘s Oxford city center. The Oxford people enjoyed the debate on the rationality and feasibility of the external style and the structure of the internal decoration. The major Victorian art critic John Ruskin was in favour of Sir George Gilbert Smiths‘ gothic revivial, e.g. the martyrs‘ memorial. But even such a famous art critic cannot give the final word. The city council advocated the classical design and did not want to see the neogothic style extended into Georgian Beaumont Street.
At the same time there was much debate over the design of the building. Eventually, a compromise was reached and a simplified gothic design was accepted, described as ”Scottish Early English” , following the example of the University Museum and the Union Debating Society. It is now difficult to trace how the internal decoration was decided, since after changing hands several times, the layout and decoration have changed greatly still.
