Frequently Asked Questions

• I am not receiving notifications about events from the School.

  We are very keen to stay in touch with all of our OWW but sometimes the details we have on file aren’t the most reliable or you have not given us permission to contact you. If you think you might not be receiving everything you should, please fill in the e-comms consent form linked here.

• How early can I arrive for an event?

  For events held at School, please arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before the event. As Dean’s Yard is a secure area after 5pm, the Abbey staff will not allow entry to anyone unaccompanied after this time and staff will not be at the North Gate to receive you.

  For events held off-site we cannot guarantee early access to any venue, so we strongly advise arriving at the start time to any event, and no earlier to avoid being turned away.

• Where is Boult and how can I access it?

  Boult is located in Dean’s Yard, and is located in the archway before Liddell’s Arch, when arriving from the North Gate.

• Why can’t I give my ticket to a friend on the night of an event?

  If you find you won’t be able to attend an event, we very much hope that you will still put your ticket to good use and pass it along to another OW. Because of the security guidelines outlined above, if you wish to give your ticket to a friend so they can attend in your place you must let the Development Office know at least three days in advance so that we can be sure that they are confirmed and added to the official list. For dinners, we cannot accommodate dietary requirements for substitutions made less than two week prior to the event.

• My friend was told they couldn’t attend an event at the School as it was past the RSVP date but there was lots of room on the night.

  We have strict deadlines for all our events as we need to liaise with catering and security at all venues. This means we cannot add guests to events, past the RSVP date.

• Is Boult/ College Hall/ up School wheelchair accessible?

  Boult and up School are wheelchair accessible.  There are stairs on the way to College Hall, and therefore wheelchair access is not available. For events off-site please check the event page.

Guidelines

• School Events

  OWW are invited to select School events throughout the year, and while we always do our best to accommodate as many attendees as possible, there may be certain occasions (e.g. Big Commem) where ticket numbers are very limited.

• Guests

  Where possible, we are pleased to encourage OWW to invite guests to many OW and School events; however, due to high demand some of our events are open to OWW only. Invitations should state whether or not guests are permitted to attend but if this is in any way unclear please contact the Development Office.

• Tickets

  Confirmation emails are usually used as tickets for our events. Please ensure that if a physical ticket is issued, you have this with you to present upon entry. To transfer ownership of a previously purchased ticket, ticket holders must contact the Development Office with the name of the new attendee no later than 3 days before the event in question. The Development Office must be advised if a ticket has been transferred. If the event is open to OWW only, tickets may only be transferred from one OW to another.

• Cancellations

  Tickets purchased for events are non‐refundable.

• Seating Arrangements

  The Development Office will make every reasonable effort to accommodate seating requests, however, please be aware that this may not always be possible.

• Behaviour

  The enjoyment and safety of our guests is our highest priority, and therefore each member of the OW community has a responsibility to be considerate of others and conduct themselves in an appropriate manner when visiting the School and when attending all OW events. If an individual is deemed to be behaving in an unacceptable manner they will be asked to leave and may be refused admission to future events.