Carfax Tower ☆☆☆

Carfax Tower on Cornmarket (Photo by ozeye)
Carfax Tower on Cornmarket
Carfax Tower on Cornmarket, Carfax Tower, Oxford (Photo by ozeye)
Carfax Tower, aka the Tower of St Martin's Church, Carfax Tower, Oxford (Photo by Holly Hayes)
Spiral staircase in Carfax tower The tower at Carfax gives splendid views over the rooftops of Oxford. The top is reached by two cast iron and one stone spiral staircases., Carfax Tower, Oxford (Photo by Tim S. Addison)
The panoramic view from the top of Carfax Tower, Carfax Tower, Oxford (Photo by Alex Lomas)

A 12th century tower at the heart of Oxford with city views

Perhaps your first order of business in town can be to climb the 99 steps of a tight sprial staircase to the top of Carfax Tower in the center of town.

At 74 feet, it is the tallest struture in Oxford. They hand out aerial city maps  at the bottom so once you get up to the bird's-eye you can get a good handle on the city layout.

Carfax Tower—derived from the Latin quadrifurcus, for "crossroads"—is actually all that remains of the 12C St. Martin's church (demolished in the 19C to make room for traffic).