For 800 years Clifford’s Tower has watched over the English city of York. Perched atop a steep mound, the quatrefoil building was once the keep of a larger range of castle buildings that acted as a site of secular government in northern England. In a city of fairly uniform height, with few buildings taller than four or five stories, Clifford’s Tower and York Minster (one of the world’s most impressive cathedrals) sit as two architectural monuments that puncture the urban skyline. And now, following the completion of a restoration and interior reimagining led by London-based Hugh Broughton Architects, Clifford’s Tower can address its better-known neighbor across the city with equal pride.
The mound—or motte in English castle parlance—is older than the stone keep itself. Constructed over a Roman cemetery by William the Conqueror in the 1060s, the motte and original wooden tower above it were a strategic stronghold for controlling rebellions in the region. It was later a site of immense tragedy: in 1190, a pogrom led York’s Jews to seek protection within the tower. Those who were not murdered by the mob ultimately took their own lives in a massacre that left 150 people dead—the town’s entire Jewish population.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.