Tom Tower

Photo by DavidHRScott

Every evening that I am staying in the dorms at Christ Church at Oxford, I will hear the bell Great Tom ring 101 times at 9:05 pm.  The first hundred times represent the 100 original scholars at Oxford and the 101st ring was added in 1663 (perhaps to recognize the scholars that have come since?).  Originally, the bell signaled that it was time to lock the gates of Oxford.

Tom Tower was designed by British architect Christopher Wren and built in 1681-1682, and Great Tom was moved to its current position soon after.