In front of you stands Carfax Tower, a tall, square stone structure with a clock on its face and arched windows, right at the heart of the bustling crossroads-just look for the tower rising above the intersection!
Welcome to the very middle of Oxford-Carfax! If Oxford had a beating heart, you’d be standing right on top of it. Imagine the cross-shaped energy of four ancient roads meeting, all swirling with street performers, students on bikes, and shoppers whizzing past. But the star of this crossroads is, of course, Carfax Tower, also known as St Martin’s Tower. Its thick stone walls have stood here since the 12th century, making it almost as old as some of the university’s jokes-although definitely better built.
All that’s left now is this proud tower, but step back in time and you’d hear the tolling of church bells from the huge St Martin’s Church, the official City Church for hundreds of years. Imagine the mayor, city officials, and townsfolk bustling in for Sunday service. But by 1896, the city decided the church had to go-not from a lack of faith, but to make way for more carriages, trams, and the growing crowd of pedestrians (and now buses full of tourists!). Thankfully, they kept the tower, which now stands guard over Oxford’s center, keeping watch at a mighty 74 feet tall-a city rule says no building in central Oxford is allowed to overtop it, although, well, somebody at the Blavatnik School didn’t get the memo!
The clock on the tower isn’t just for show. Designed by Sir TG Jackson, it ticks away the hours while bells-some from the 17th century-still ring on special occasions, sending a joyful clang rolling across the crossroads. If you’re feeling brave, there’s a narrow stairway inside, promising a panoramic view across Oxford’s dreaming spires. Warning: climbing the tower is almost a rite of passage, but it does leave your legs wobbling like a new-born deer.
A bit of drama too-back in 1355, right on this spot (okay, in a tavern that’s now a bank), a quarrel between students and a taverner erupted into the notorious St Scholastica Day Riot. It’s wild to think how much history has unfolded right here-scandals, celebrations, and city laws that still require some Oxford students to stay within six miles’ reach of Carfax. Here, you’re not just crossing a road-it’s more like stepping through layers of Oxford’s soul. So next time you check the time, just remember: you’re glancing up at a tower that’s outlasted churches, riots, and even some Oxford essays!
