Carfax Tower Oxford: History, Features and Town-and-Gown Tensions

Carfax Tower in Oxford is the surviving tower of St Martin's Church, also known as St Martin's Tower. It stands at Carfax, the junction of St Aldate's, Cornmarket Street, Queen Street and the High Street, a crossroads considered to be the centre of Oxford.

The tower is more than a central landmark: its name, medieval remains and clock connect the physical heart of the city with the long tension between Oxford's university and town communities.

What is Carfax Tower in Oxford?

Carfax Tower is a prominent 13th-century tower at Oxford's central crossroads, and it provides a look-out over the town. The name “Carfax” derives from the Latin quadrifurcus, through the French carrefour; both refer to a crossroads.

Its position is defined by the four streets that meet here: St Aldate's to the south, Cornmarket Street to the north, Queen Street to the west and the High Street to the east. That makes Carfax a useful point for understanding Oxford's layout as well as a place with its own history.

What remains of St Martin's Church at Carfax?

The tower is all that survives of the 11th-century St Martin's Church. The church was demolished in 1896 to enlarge the High Street, leaving the 13th-century Carfax Tower as the remaining physical trace of the earlier church.

The Oxford Exam describes Carfax Tower as one of the tallest buildings in central Oxford. Its height helps explain why it remains such a prominent feature at the junction, even after the church around it disappeared.

What can you notice on Carfax Tower?

The clock and quarter boys were added to Carfax Tower in 1898. Displayed with them is the city motto, FORTIS EST VERITAS.

These details make the tower a landmark to look up at while standing at Oxford's central crossroads: the medieval tower, the later clock and the motto belong to different layers of the place's visible history. Carfax Tower is stop 10 of 10 in The Oxford Exam, which gives the landmark a specific place in that Oxford route.

What happened near Carfax during the St Scholastica Day Riots?

The St Scholastica Day Riots took place on 10 February 1355 and reflected tensions between Oxford's university and town communities. Economic divisions had worsened after the Black Death of 1349, and friction between the two communities could become violent.

The Swindlestock Tavern stood at the corner of St Aldate and Queen Street, close to Carfax. The disturbance began after two students objected to the wine. Accounts differ on whether the drink was thrown in the owner's face or the wine goblet was thrown, but the disagreement led to a fight that lasted three days.

The source records that 63 students and 30 residents were killed. The tavern was not Carfax Tower, but its location near the crossroads ties the tower's immediate surroundings to one of the clearest episodes in Oxford's town-and-gown history.

At Carfax, look up at the tower that remains from St Martin's Church, then follow its name, features and surroundings into Oxford's medieval past. The landmark's place in The Oxford Exam offers a sourced way to continue exploring it independently.