University of Oxford building evacuated after seagulls smash glass roof with stones

Students and staff were forced to evacuate a University of Oxford building after a glass roof was cracked by hungry seagulls.

Seagull experts and university staff believe the birds were attempting to crack open what they assumed were eggs in order to “get to some yolk”,  but in fact were bouncing stones off of the building’s glass roof.

The university began the evacuation of the Blavtnik School of Government last Wednesday, half an hour after the birds were seen damaging the roof. An Oxford University building maintenance manager said: “It was pretty urgent because it just wasn’t safe”.

According to the manager this was the first time the university has been hit by such a problem.

The Blavtnik School, which operates out of a building opened in 2016 to the tune of £55 million, aims to “train the current and future leaders in the practice of government” and hosts a number of high profile visiting scholars like former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, and prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Seagull update: A Clarion correspondent has shared this video of a seagull on the roof of the Blavatnik, reporting that multiple seagulls have been playing with pebbles on the glass roof ‘like basketball’ (sound on), for a week #wearealltheclarionhttps://t.co/Sx0awixRPL pic.twitter.com/1uK9UgkHlw

— Oxford Clarion (@OxfordClarion) April 12, 2025

According to the Oxford Clarion events set to be hosted at the school, including a Heat Pump Summit planned for later this week, have been rescheduled to facilitate repairs.

The school is known for being a busy hub on campus, with the study areas and cafeteria filled with students completing assignments and dissertations when they were forced to evacuate.

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Mohammed Ahmed, a local newsagents owner who works opposite the school, explained: “On Wednesday, everyone rushed out of the building and by Saturday, there were cranes there with people working on the roof for hours.

“Normally even in the holidays there are conferences and people coming in and out at all hours, but it’s been completely deserted for days now.”

Julia Gould, a seagull expert working at rescue centre Bird Aid, told The Telegraph: “​​It’s natural for gulls to drop shellfish to try to break them, so this may be an extension of that behaviour.

“Gulls are also very curious and learn through play, so they could have been trying to see if the stones were food or just practicing their technique. Either way, they would not be doing it to annoy people.”

The University of Oxford has been approached for comment.

Featured image via Google Maps and Unsplash