Martyrs' Memorial

The Martyrs' Memorial in Oxford is a Gothic Revival monument at the junction of St Giles', Magdalen Street and Beaumont Street, just west of Balliol College. It honours three Anglican churchmen who were burned at the stake in the 1550s for refusing to renounce their beliefs.

Who does it commemorate?

The monument is dedicated to the Oxford Martyrs: bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. Condemned for heresy under the Catholic queen Mary I, Latimer and Ridley died on 16 October 1555 and Cranmer on 21 March 1556.

Who designed it, and why was it built?

Sir George Gilbert Scott, one of the leading Victorian architects, drew up the design, drawing on medieval crosses and 13th-century Gothic. The inscription carries the date MDCCCXLI (1841), and work finished in the early 1840s. Protestant Anglicans funded it as a statement against the Oxford Movement, which was pulling the Church of England closer to Catholic tradition.

What will you see?

A stone spire rises above a polygonal base. Its niches hold three statues by Henry Weekes: Cranmer faces north with a Bible, Ridley looks east, and Latimer, arms folded, looks west. The memorial is a Grade II* listed structure (list entry 1107172).

Is this where the burnings happened?

No. The fires were lit near today's Broad Street, where a separate cross set into the road marks the area. The exact spot is uncertain. The memorial on St Giles' stands a short walk away and serves as a commemoration.

How to get there and when to visit

The memorial sits in central Oxford, a few minutes on foot from the Ashmolean Museum, Balliol College and Broad Street. It stands in the open beside a busy junction, so you view it from outside, free of charge, at any hour. Daylight suits photography best, and early morning is the quietest time. St Giles' Fair takes over this street each September, but that is a separate event.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an entry fee?

No. It is a public monument, open to view at all times at no cost.

How long should I allow?

Ten to fifteen minutes is enough. Pair it with a walk to the cross on Broad Street and a visit to the Ashmolean.

Can you climb or enter it?

No. You look at it from street level, where the statues and carving are easy to see.

How does it differ from the cross on Broad Street?

The St Giles' monument is a Victorian structure with statues of the three martyrs. The Broad Street cross is a small marker in the paving showing the likely site of the pyres.