Carfax
Carfax, looking west from the High Street towards Queen Street. St Aldate’s Street is on the left and Cornmarket on the right
Carfax is the ancient heart of Oxford: its name is derived from Quadrifurcus, where the four road from the four city gates meet. It is dominated by the thirteenth-century church tower of the former St Martin’s Church, the main part of which was rebuilt in 1820 and then demolished in 1896 in order to widen the street. This picture on the English Heritage website shows the church in 1890.
Left: Carfax, looking east, c.1920
Below: Carfax looking south, 1775. On the right is part of St Martin’s church, with the butter bench aross the road: on the left is Carfax Conduit, the old Town Hall, and Christ Church.
This stone water conduit was built in 1610 and stood at Carfax until 1789, when the road was widened for coach traffic. It was removed and given to Lord Harcourt, who set it up in Nuneham Park