Spooner remained at New College for more than sixty years, serving as fellow (1867), lecturer (1868), tutor (1869), dean (1876–1889) and warden (1903–1924).

Spooner was well liked and respected, described as "an albino, small, with a pink face, poor eyesight, and a head too large for his body".

[6] In the opinion of Roy Harrod, Spooner exceeded all the heads of Oxford and Cambridge colleges he had known "having regard to his scholarship, devotion to duty, and wisdom".

[3] The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (3rd edition, 1979) lists only one substantiated spoonerism: "The weight of rages will press hard upon the employer."

(rate of wages) In a 1928 interview, Spooner himself admitted to uttering "Kinkering Congs Their Titles Take"[8] (Conquering Kings).