Art of the Octangle (6)

Moving around the octangle from our last stop, next to Archchancellor Roxby's statue, and in the direction of the grand doors that are the main entrance to Unseen University, we enter the preferred space of Red wizards and Mrs. Widgery's Lodgers:

Octiron-plated gates, somehow still glinting blackly in the night, still stand wide because someone lost the key. A large official-looking notice attempts to forbid passage between Gown and Town - the ancient weight of magic and history that is Unseen University on one side, and the bustle and noise of Sator Square on the other. From the gargoyle-haunted crenellations and the ancient chestnut trees shading the green lawns, to the vast, dizzying height of the Tower of Art looming over the clock tower and the Great Hall behind it, everything is redolent of the weight of tradition. A ruddy-robed wizard statue stands ready to welcome students, whether new or returning, and the squat menace of the thatched porter's lodge is a dreadful reminder of the terrors that await them if they get caught being drunk, rowdy, or objectionably sober.

As usual, we encounter a very picky bench, this time cherry red in color, and also as usual, it does not take kindly to our attempts to use it:

You sit on a cherry red oak bench.
> The bench suddenly changes its shape to become a steep slope, sending you sliding down onto the grass.
You stand up.
The bench changes back into its normal bench-like shape.

There are lots of landmarks in this corner. Besides the huge octiron doors, the Porter's Lodge looms nearby, and a good view of all the main buildings of the university. There also a wizardly statue welcoming incomers:

A tall thin wizard carved from Klatchian sandstone looks very proud to wear the robes of Mrs Widgery's Lodgers, the oldest Order of Wizardry.