理學堂大書院 Oxford College

  馬偕親自設計監造，1882年7月落成，命名為理學院大書院，英文以Oxford College（牛津學堂）稱之，乃為紀念加拿大牛津郡鄉親的盛情美意。1880年馬偕首次回加拿大述職，應邀到各地演講，報告在臺灣的宣教經驗，充滿傳奇的宣教成果，引起極大的轟動。故鄉親友為表達對其宣教的關心與鼓勵，由牛津郡當地報紙《守望評論報》發起興建神學院的募款運動，獲得熱烈的響應。總共募得6,215元加幣，作為在淡水興建學校的經費。牛津學堂雖然是培養傳教士的學校，但授課內容並不局限在研習教義和聖經研讀，還包括天文、化學、物理，地質、地理、生物、動物、植物等自然科學，以及衛生、解剖、藥理等醫學相關，也有體育、音樂等。可謂當時最先進的新式教育發祥地。

  Oxford College in Tamsui was completed in July 1882. Its design and construction were supervised by George Leslie MacKay himself, and its name commemorated the support from his hometown of Oxford County in Canada. MacKay returned to Canada for the first time in 1880 to report on his work. He received many invitations to speak about his experience as a missionary in Taiwan, and his accomplishments became the talk of society at the time. People in his hometown wanted to show their support so the Sentinel Review, a local paper in Oxford County, launched a campaign to raise funds for the construction of a seminary. The campaign received an enthusiastic response and raised CAD 6215 towards the construction of a school in Tamsui. Oxford College may have been a school for training missionaries, but the curriculum went far beyond religious doctrine and bible study. It also covered sciences such as astronomy, chemistry, physics, geology, geography, biology, fauna and flora, as well as hygiene, anatomy, pharmacology and other medical topics. Physical education and music were included as well, making it one of the top institutions for modern education at the time.