Tim's One Photograph a Day

The Cross on Carfax Tower, Oxford.

Carfax Tower.

Carfax Tower: The Cross on the Top.

The cross standing out beautifully in the sun against the almost cloudless sky.

One of the joys of taking “One Photograph a Day” is the challenge to take something different. Having spent the day in Oxford, it would have been easy to to pick a standard “touristy” shot. After all, there is so much to choose from.

Spotting Carfax Tower, I paid my £2.50 and climbed to the top. Logic would suggest the rooftop view would perhaps feature on this page.  Naturally, I took several such shots.

Then, I realised the cross that I had just spent the last five minutes walking round and ignoring stood out so clearly against the blue sky. Lining up my angle, I could get the sun on it too. I am really pleased with this, as it is a memory of the day, and it’s a shot that not many people will have taken. In a City that is such a big tourist attraction, that’s something to be happy with!

The Carfax Tower dates back to sometime around the 13th Century. It is all that remains of the medieval church of St Martin’s. The church was declared unsafe in 1820, but replaced by a new church modelled on Gloucester Cathedral. However, a road-widening scheme resulted in its demolition in 1896. The tower becoming a clock tower and civic belfry.

The views from the top of the Carfax Tower, which still houses a peal of 5 bells, are well worth the money and steep climb. On a fine day, you can see fabulous vistas across the Oxfordshire countryside, as well as across the City of Oxford itself.

Carfax (or carrefour) means a place where (usually four) roads or street meet. It is from the Latin “quadrifurcus”, meaning “four forks”. No mention of any candles…

Photograph Details

  • Taken: 9 Mar 2017
  • Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
  • Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm 1:4 L IS II USM
  • Focal Length 27mm
  • F/9
  • 1/160 Sec
  • ISO 100

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