Clifford’s Tower reopens, laying bare its historic and sometimes grim past

[EARLIER THIS YEAR Clifford’s Tower in York was reopened to the public following a £5m project to conserve and radically transform the interior of the 800-year-old landmark. Where previously the tower was an empty shell, English Heritage – which manages the structure – has installed a free-standing timber structure inside it, protecting the ruin and creating a new roof deck that offers magnificent views over York. On the tower’s lost first floor, dramatic aerial walkways have opened up hidden rooms for the first time since Clifford’s Tower was gutted by fire in 1684.

The new interior and roof deck at Clifford's Tower was designed by Hugh Broughton Architects, working closely with conservation specialists Martin Ashley Architects to produce a scheme which sits respectfully within the heritage structure. The main contractor was Simpson (York) Ltd.

Supported by four slender wooden columns, the ingenious structure sits on a raft foundation, which spreads the load without impacting on the archaeological remains beneath the tower.

Kate Mavor, English Heritage’s chief executive, commented: “At Clifford's Tower, new architecture is transforming a centuries-old landmark, opening it up and unlocking its secrets. We’re protecting Clifford's Tower for future generations and inspiring more people to discover its stories.”

The charity’s head properties curator Jeremy Ashbee added: “One of England’s most important buildings, Clifford's Tower is almost all that remains of York Castle, which was the centre of government for the North throughout the Middle Ages and up to the 17th-century: the place where the whole of the North of England was ruled from. We not only wanted to preserve this incredible building but also do justice to its fascinating and multi-faceted history.”

Exposed to the elements for more than 300 years, the tower’s walls, turret stairs, arrow slits and fireplaces have been painstakingly repaired. The chapel has been reroofed, while the carved heraldic plaques above the entrance, showing the coats of arms of Charles I and Henry Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, have also been conserved.

Staircases and hanging walkways combine to take visitors 10 metres up to a new roof deck from where they can enjoy the York skyline. En route to the top, visitors will be brought face to face with the tower’s fascinating architectural details and can explore a royal chapel and – for the first time since the 17th century – a toilet built especially for Henry III.

New interpretation helps place the tower in the context of both the historic York Castle and the city of York itself, as well as introducing visitors to the tower’s long and turbulent history. Visitors can explore the castle’s founding by William the Conqueror and the tower’s role as the site of the 1190 massacre and mass suicide of York’s Jewish community – one of the worst anti-Semitic episodes in English history.

Integral to the new scheme is its soundscape. Layers of background sound take visitors back in time, allowing them to experience the tower as it would have been at various periods in its long history. Visitors can engage with five key moments in that history with the help of the voices of local residents, who bring the stories of fictional characters to life – each representing a different chapter in the tower's past.

To improve access, additional handrails have been introduced to the steps up the mound on which the historic tower sits and three resting points created. A map and a timeline at the base of the mound provide interpretation while, also at street level, English Heritage staff greet visitors at a new Piaggio – a three-wheeled vehicle. q

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