University Church Tower

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin has stood on the High Street for centuries and was the first home of the university, used for meetings, lectures and degree ceremonies before the Sheldonian and the Divinity School were built. Today it is a working Church of England parish church with a tower that is open to visitors. The climb is a spiral of about one hundred and thirty narrow stone steps, and at the top a gallery looks straight down onto Radcliffe Square, with the round Camera below, All Souls College on one side and the roofs of Brasenose and the Bodleian on the other. It is the most popular view in Oxford, and it is the best way to understand how the colleges fit together.

The church itself is worth a few minutes. The spire dates from the early fourteenth century, and the porch facing the High Street has twisting barley-sugar columns added in the seventeenth century that caused controversy at the time. Inside, the nave is calm and quiet, with stained glass and memorials to scholars. The church was the setting for the trial of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in the sixteenth century, and John Henry Newman preached here as vicar before his conversion, so it has a place in the history of both the Reformation and the Oxford Movement.

Access depends on the calendar. The church is normally open daily, and entry to the nave is free, while the tower carries a small charge and is not open at all times. Services and events can close parts of the building, and the tower can close in poor weather. The stairs are tight, with limited headroom in places, so the climb is not suitable for people who have difficulty with steep steps or for very small children. There is a cafe in the vaults beneath the church with a pleasant garden, handy for lunch.

The best time for the tower is mid-morning or late afternoon when the sun lights the stone, and it is worth waiting for a clear day. Photographers take the shot from the gallery on the north side, looking down at the Radcliffe Camera. If you prefer to keep your feet on the ground, the church grounds and the square give an alternative view. The tower fits neatly into a walking route that includes the Bodleian, the Sheldonian and the Covered Market.

A few details add to the climb. The church has a long history as the university's first public building, and the Old Library space attached to it was among the earliest university libraries. As you climb, look for the carved stonework and the small windows that give glimpses of the street.

At the top, the narrow gallery runs around the tower, and there is room to move around the four sides to see different views: Radcliffe Square to the north, the High Street spreading east and west, and the rooftops of Brasenose and All Souls nearby.

The vaults cafe below, which uses a medieval room, is a good place to pause afterward, and it has seating in a garden in good weather. Services take priority, so the tower can close on Sundays at certain times and on special days. Dress for the weather, because the top is open to the air and can be windy even on a mild day.