Cliffords Tower Castles

As one of the most important cities in England, and an important base for holding and administering the north, York was the site for two of the castles William the Conqueror built in the years immediately following his conquest. The principal castle was begun in 1068, as part of a campaign to subdue anti-Norman sentiment in the north. Its wooden defences focused around and atop the motte; they were destroyed during a local rebellion the following year, but rebuilt by the Normans after suppressing the rebels and taking harsh reprisals on York.

For the sheer drama of its setting, and its chequered history there is little in York to rival Clifford's Tower.

The tower stands on a high mound erected by William the Conqueror as part of his campaign to overthrow the North. He threw up two mottes (mounds) with wooden keeps on top - one became Clifford's Tower and the Baille Hill, which can be seen on the side of the river, although the tower there has long since disappeared.

In the latter half of the thirteenth century, the keep was rebuilt in stone. It was given a quatrefoil plan, of which there is no other example in England. The keep later became known as Clifford's Tower after Roger de Clifford, who was hanged there in 1322.

OPEN: Daily Jul 17-Aug 31 9. 30am-7pm, Mar 29 -Jul 16 and Sep 1-30 10am-6pm, Oct 1-31 10am-5pm, Nov 1-Mar 31 10am-4pm. .