DEER have roamed the grounds of Magdalen College, Oxford, for 200 years – and probably much longer.

It is known that there was a herd there when George III visited the college in 1786, but how long deer were in the park before that is a mystery.

The deer in the seven-acre Magdalen Grove are seen by thousands of tourists every year. This picture dates from the 1950s.

Although they are often nervous and run away at the slightest noise or movement, they will often gather at the railings to delight visitors.

One woman who visited the park during the war was too nervous to hand the deer a piece of bread, so she put it on her ration book and held it out. The deer ate the bread – and the ration book!