The Saxon tower of Saint Michael at the North Gate, Oxford

The Saxon Tower of Saint Michael at the North Gate is the oldest surviving building in Oxford and should be on your “must visit” list.

The tower is part of the church that stood on the site of the north gate when the city was a walled one. It was built in 1040, but the original church no longer exists. The tower was part of the city’s defences.

It was built of coral rag-stone, which is rough and very tough, but is virtually impossible to carve into pleasing shapes and wasn’t used for housing or church buildings. The Boccardo Prison adjoined the tower and in 1555 the Oxford Martyrs were kept there before being burnt at the stake. The martyrs’ cell door has been preserved and you can see in the tower, on the second floor.

The top of the tower is reached by climbing 99 steps, but it is an easy climb and well worth it for the splendid views. On the first floor you will find the former treasury where you will see some excellent examples of 16th century silver, a charter signed by King James I in 1612 and the wedding certificate of the writer William Morris and his wife, the artist’s model Jane Burden. There is also a rather repulsive sheela-na-gig, the figurine of a naked woman with an oversized vulva, which was once placed over the church doors to ward off evil.

The entrance to the tower is in the Visitor’s Reception Centre where you can buy souvenirs, postcards and guide books.