View NE of St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford, England, UK, one of the most complete Saxon church towers in England: the oldest building in Oxford?
View NE of St Michael at the Northgate, Oxford, England, UK, one of the most complete Saxon church towers in England & said to be the oldest building in Oxford. Tower & first church of c. 1040-50 were built on the original line of the C10th Saxon northern defences after the town wall was rebuilt a little further to the N. The raised doorway gave access on to the gatehouse wall walk while a higher doorway on the E led to a gallery inside the church. The tower may have doubled as a lookout/refuge enclosed within a spur of the town wall. The round-headed two-light windows have central baluster pillars. The tower contains coral ragstone, an incredibly hard & irregular local fieldstone. The Saxon church was replaced in the C13th & subsequently enlarged. The Northgate remained, almost blocking the road, until 1771.
Size: 3765px × 4961px
Location: St Michael at the North Gate, Cornmarket Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Mick Sharp / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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