Tom Tower, Oxford

Tom Tower stands above the main entrance to Christ Church, Oxford on Saint Aldate’s, forming one of the most recognisable landmarks in Oxford. The tower crowns Tom Gate, which leads into Tom Quad, the largest quadrangle at Christ Church and one of the grandest college courtyards in the city.

Originally planned by Cardinal Wolsey in 1532 as part of an ambitious gatehouse, the structure remained unfinished after his fall from power. More than 150 years later, Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to complete it. Finished between 1681 and 1682, Wren respected the original late Gothic style despite its having long fallen out of fashion. The work resulted in a square tower topped with an octagonal lantern and a distinctive ogee dome that later inspired many similar designs.

Inside hangs Great Tom, the massive bell that gives the tower its name. Weighing more than seven tons and measuring over two metres across its base, it is the loudest bell in Oxford. Originally known as Mary, the bell once hung in the former Osney Abbey before being moved to Saint Frideswide’s Church and eventually installed in Tom Tower in 1682 after several recastings.

Each evening at 9:05 p.m., Great Tom rings 101 times. The tradition reflects Oxford’s historic local time, which ran five minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time, and once signalled the return of Christ Church’s original 101 students before the gates closed.