University Church Tower Climb
About
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin sits between the High Street and Radcliffe Square, and its 13th-century tower gives the best close-up view in Oxford: straight down onto the Radcliffe Camera's dome, with All Souls, Brasenose and the whole spire-line laid out around you. The 127 steps wind past the old library and the bell-ringing chamber on a medieval spiral staircase that is steep, worn and narrow, with a minimum age of 8 and an honest health warning for anyone who struggles with climbs. The church itself is free to enter, open 9:30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and from noon on Sundays (later closing in July and August); tower tickets, around £7, are bought on site.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Looking straight down on the Radcliffe Camera
- ✓The full spire-line of central Oxford in one turn of the parapet
- ✓A working university church since the 13th century
- ✓Gargoyles and grotesques at eye level
Tips
- →Last tower admission is 5:30pm in high summer and earlier the rest of the year; check the church's site on the day.
- →The staircase is genuinely narrow and worn; not one for anyone shaky on steep stairs, and children must be 8 or over.
- →Clear winter mornings beat hazy summer afternoons for the view.
Best Season
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