Carfax (St Martin's) Tower, Oxford. Exterior viewable at any time. Charges and opening times apply if you wish to climb the tower.

Details

Accessibility:

Parking is extremely limited near to the tower but there are car parks within Oxford city centre. Detailed information on all of these car parks and their current Blue Badge concessions can be found here: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory/8/car_parks_in_oxford/category/53/categoryInfo/10

The entrance on the ground floor is flat and level with the pavement but to climb the tower there are 99 spiral steps.

The following public toilets have disability facilities: Market Street Public Toilets (SP513063); Gloucester Green Public Toilets (SP510063); Oxpens Public Toilets (SP507058). There are also other public toilets in the town centre, but they do not have disability facilities.

Oxford city has a Shopmobility service which is accessed from within the car park for the Westgate shopping centre (OX1 1TR). The car park itself has 50 disability parking spaces, which are located close to the lobby area. Scooters and wheelchairs can be hired free of charge from the Shopmobility office, which can be booked over the telephone on 01865 263600 (Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm). Further information can be requested via email: westgate.oxford@landsec.com.

Brief Description:

The Grade II* listed Carfax Tower (St Martin’s Tower) is the only surviving part of the 12^th century St Martin’s Church.  It is on the north-west corner of the cross roads of St Aldate's, Cornmarket Street, Queen Street and High Street and is considered to be the centre of the city of Oxford. At 74 feet tall no building in central Oxford is allowed to be built taller than it.

Further Information:

Address:

Carfax (St Martin’s) Tower, Queen Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 1ET

Telephone:

01865 792653 

Email:

N/A

Website:

http://www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/mayors/city_church/stmartins.html

Opening Hours:

April - September: 10am to 5:30pm

October: 10am to 4:30pm

November - February: 10am to 3pm

March: 10am to 4pm

Tower Price

£3 for adults

Directions:

The tower is in the centre of Oxford and can be tricky to get to by car. From the M40 J8a take the A40 west towards Oxford for 5 miles. At the roundabout continue straight to take the London Road/A420 for a further 2.5 miles. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit (past the pillared monument in the middle of the road) onto The Plain/A420, over Magdalen Bridge and along High Street until you reach the cross roads with St Aldate’s, Cornmarket Street and Queen Street. The tower is directly in front of you in the pedestrianised area.

OS SP 51314 06180

Transport:

Oxford is a very old city and travelling by car can be a problem. However, there is an excellent pubic transport system, which you can find further details of here: http://www.oxfordcityguide.com/oxford-tourist-information/getting-around-oxford

There are six Park & Ride sites located around Oxford's ring road; Bicester, Oxford Parkway and Pear Tree to the North, Thornhill to the East, Redbridge to the South and Seacourt to the West. The parking and bus into town are charged separately and there are no concessions for Blue Badge drivers. Each Park & Ride also has EV charge points for electric car drivers. Further details of the locations and charges can be found here: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/directory/8/car_parks_in_oxford/category/56/categoryInfo/13

The main bus services in Oxford are run by the Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach Oxfordshire and Thames Travel. The services run throughout the city as well as the surrounding villages. Further details can be found on the following websites: https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/, https://www.stagecoachbus.com/about/oxfordshire and https://www.thames-travel.co.uk/.

Oxford’s main railway station is located on the west side of the city centre with bus stops and taxi ranks just outside. There are frequent services to/from London Paddington, London Marylebone and Birmingham New Street. Details of the station can be found here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/OXF/details.html. For ticket information you can telephone National Rail on 03457 484 950.

Amenities:

There are no amenities on site, but there are cafes, coffee shops, public houses, restaurants and shops to cater for any taste within Oxford town centre.