Carfax is located at the conjunction of
St Aldate'sSt Aldate's is a street in central Oxford, England. It is named after Saint Aldate of whom little is known, although it has also been suggested that the name is a corruption of 'old gate', referring to the south gate in the former city walls. St Aldate's Church is on the west side of the street, in...
(south), Cornmarket Street (north),
Queen StreetQueen Street is a shopping street in central Oxford, England. It is one-way for buses and taxis, two-way for cyclists outside main shopping hours, and forbidden for cars. It runs west from the centre of Oxford at Carfax...
(west) and the
High StreetThe High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
(east) in
OxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England. It is considered to be the centre of the city, and is at . The name "Carfax" derives from the French
carrefour "crossroads" or
quatre-face "four-face".
Tower
Carfax Tower is located at the northwest corner of Carfax. The Tower is all that remains of the 13th century St Martin's Church and is now owned by the
Oxford City CouncilThe Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
. It was the official
City ChurchThe City Church in Oxford, England, is where the mayor and corporation are expected to worship. There have been three churches designated the City Church in Oxford, first established around 1122:...
of Oxford, where the Mayor and Corporation were expected to worship, between c.1122 and 1896, when the main part of the church was demolished to make more room for traffic in the area. In 1896, the City Church was moved to
All Saints ChurchAll Saints Church is on the north side of the High Street in central Oxford, England, on the corner of Turl Street. It is now the library of Lincoln College. This former church is Grade I listed.-History:...
in the High Street.
The tower is 23 m (74 ft) tall, and no building in central Oxford may be constructed higher than it. It still contains a ring of six bells, recast from the original five by Richard Keene of
WoodstockWoodstock is a small town northwest of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. It is the location of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874 and is buried in the nearby village of Bladon....
in 1676. These chime the quarter hours and are rung on special occasions by the
Oxford Society of Change RingersThe Oxford Society of Change Ringers, established in 1734, is a society dedicated to change ringing in Oxford, England. It should not be confused with the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers. The society is based at the Cathedral Church of Christ where its members ring for Sunday services...
.
It is possible to climb to the top of the tower for a good view of the Oxford skyline. The tower is open 10am–5.30pm (Easter to October) 10am–3.30pm (October to Easter).
Events
In 1865,
William Henry ButlerWilliam Henry Butler was an English wine merchant and Mayor of Oxford.William Butler was the ninth of the ten children. His parents were James and Jane Butler from All Saints parish in Oxford...
(Mayor of Oxford, 1836) was buried in the churchyard at Carfax in the grave of his first wife Elizabeth Briggs and their two infant daughters. In 1900, the church was demolished to make way for road improvements and as a consequence the grave and tombstone were forgotten. It is probable the tombstone was made by either
John GibbsJohn Gibbs was a British Gothic Revival architect based in Wigan, Manchester, and Oxford, England.- Life :John Gibbs was initially in Oxford but he moved to Wigan in the 1850s and then Manchester in the north of England....
of Oxford (father of William Henry Butler's second wife) or one of John Gibbs's employees. The tombstone is still in its original position and can be viewed at the rear of the tower. There is now a campaign to protect the tombstone for future generations.
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