I think pull-chain toilets have been pretty much phased out now, except maybe in scary old institutions. But pull-cords for light switches are standard in bathrooms (keeps wet hands well away from live electricity) and I had one like that in my bedroom too as a child.

My college at Uni was built in the early 16th century... that bit sounds cool; what's less cool is having to walk past a crowd of tourists with cameras standing outside your window every morning. :-)