Christ Church is the largest and grandest of Oxford's colleges, and the only one that is also a cathedral. Founded by Henry VIII in 1546 on the ruins of Cardinal Wolsey's unfinished college, it has Oxford's biggest quadrangle, Christopher Wren's Tom Tower, and a Great Hall that inspired the dining hall in the Harry Potter films. Every evening its great bell still rings 101 times.
Christ Church at a glance
- Where: on St Aldate's, south of Carfax in central Oxford, with Christ Church Meadow stretching down to the rivers behind it.
- Founded: as Cardinal College by Thomas Wolsey in 1525; refounded by Henry VIII as Christ Church in 1546; Tom Tower completed in 1682.
- By: Tom Tower was designed by Sir Christopher Wren on top of Wolsey's gateway.
- What it is today: a working college of the University of Oxford and Oxford's cathedral, open to visitors with a ticket, though parts close for college events.
- Time needed: 1–1.5 hours for the college, cathedral and Hall; more with a walk in the Meadow.
From Wolsey's college to the House
In 1525 Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, then the most powerful man in England after the king, closed St Frideswide's Priory and began a magnificent Cardinal College on its land. He fell from power in 1529 with the buildings only three-quarters finished, and they stayed that way for some 140 years. Henry VIII took over the foundation and, in 1546, refounded it as Christ Church. The old priory church became both the college chapel and the cathedral of the new Diocese of Oxford, a double role no other college shares. Its formal name ends with "of the Foundation of King Henry the Eighth", and members still call it simply "the House".
During the Civil War, Charles I made Oxford his capital, lived in the Deanery and held his Parliament in the Great Hall. Christopher Wren crowned Wolsey's gateway with Tom Tower, finished in 1682, to hold the great bell, Great Tom. The college has educated 13 British prime ministers, and among its members were John Locke, Robert Hooke and the mathematician Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, whose Alice was the daughter of Dean Henry Liddell.
What to look for
- Tom Quad, the largest quadrangle in Oxford, with the statue of Mercury in the pond at its centre.
- Tom Tower above the main gate on St Aldate's, Wren's Gothic-style cupola on a Tudor base.
- The fan-vaulted ceiling above the staircase to the Great Hall, a 17th-century addition that appeared in the Harry Potter films.
- The Great Hall itself, lined with portraits of famous members, and the stained glass window with Alice and other Carroll characters.
- The cathedral, one of the smallest in England, with medieval parts from St Frideswide's Priory and stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones for William Morris's firm.
Great Tom and Oxford time
Every night at 9.05 pm, Great Tom rings 101 times: once for each of the college's 100 original scholars, plus one more stroke added in 1664. It sounds at five past nine because Oxford lies west of Greenwich, and "Oxford time" runs five minutes behind; the cathedral still keeps Oxford time for its services. In the past the bell rang at midnight as the signal for all college gates in Oxford to close. Ringing 101 strokes took about 20 minutes, which is why Christ Church's own gates traditionally stayed open later than anyone else's.
Tips for your visit
- Buy your ticket in advance in busy months; visitors enter by the Meadow Gate, not through Tom Tower.
- The Hall closes at lunchtime and for college events, so check the visiting times before you go.
- Stand in St Aldate's at 9.05 pm to hear Great Tom ring.
- After the college, walk through Christ Church Meadow to the river, where you might see the college's Longhorn cattle.
Nearby
- Covered Market: the 18th-century market hall with cafés and food stalls, a short walk north via Cornmarket.
- Oxford Castle & Prison: the Norman castle mound and former prison, about ten minutes' walk west.
- Carfax Tower: the old church tower at Oxford's central crossroads, a few minutes' walk north, with a view over the city.
- Christ Church Meadow: the open meadow behind the college, leading to the Isis and Cherwell rivers.
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Facts checked in October 2026.