Parson's Pleasure & Dame's Delight

Situated just southeast of the University Parks, Parson’s Pleasure was a male-only nude bathing place on the River Cherwell. The place first appears in documents from the 1600s. In the Victorian period it was enclosed and fitted with cubicles, ladders, and diving platforms in the trees. Bathers could rent a towel and purchase their own key. Towards the end of the 19th century the university exerted greater control, requiring that women arriving by punt alight and walk around the outside before returning to their boats.

The place was expanded in the 1930s, making more room for sunbathing, and a place for women and children was added nearby. This became known as Dame’s Delight and remained open until 1970. After the final keeper retired in 1973, Parson’s Pleasure continued unsupervised for almost twenty years, becoming a popular spot for cruising. The university decided to close it down in 1992, citing fears of liability in the case of an accident.

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