- Type
- Castle
- Built
- 1245 · 13th century
- Site origins
- 1068 per Wikidata – an earlier stronghold or first mention
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Architect
- Henry de Reynes
- Coordinates
- 53.9558°, -1.0800°
History
William the Conqueror founded a timber motte-and-bailey castle in York in 1068, and a second one across the River Ouse a year later. In 1190 the city's Jewish community took refuge from a mob in the wooden tower – around 150 people died, many by their own hand, before it burned down. In 1245 Henry III ordered a stone tower with a rare quatrefoil plan to replace it; completed around 1270, it was first known as the King's Tower. The name Clifford's Tower is recorded from 1596 and comes from the Clifford family – either from Roger de Clifford, whose body was hung here after his execution in 1322, or from the Cliffords who became hereditary constables of the castle in the late 16th century. In 1684 an explosion in the magazine gutted the tower, and the bailey later held prisons whose buildings now house a museum.
What to see
Steep steps climb to the top of the mound, and the tower's interior, restored in a project completed in 2022, has new timber walkways and a roof deck with views of York Minster and the city's rooftops. A plaque at the foot of the mound commemorates the victims of 1190. Next door, in the former prison buildings, the York Castle Museum features a recreated Victorian street.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q80637
Popularity: articles about this site in 24 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).