Clifford's Tower: York Travel Guide (4.3★)

A keep on a hill of earth

Start at the bottom of the mound. A long flight of steps runs straight up the steep grass slope to a single doorway in the pale limestone walls. The keep has an unusual shape: four rounded lobes joined together, like a four-leaf clover seen from above. Very few castles in England were built to this plan.

The mound itself is older than the stone. William the Conqueror had it raised in 1068 to hold down a rebellious north. Wooden towers stood on top first. The stone keep you climb to today went up in the 13th century under Henry III.

What happened here

The worst event in the tower’s history came before the stone one was built. In 1190, York’s Jewish community took refuge in the wooden tower from a mob. Most died there, many by their own hands, rather than surrender. A plaque at the foot of the mound remembers them, and it is worth stopping there before you climb.

Later centuries put the keep to more practical uses. It served as a prison and as a royal mint. In 1684 an explosion gutted the interior, and the building stood roofless for over three centuries. The name is usually linked to Roger de Clifford, executed in 1322, whose body was hung in chains from the walls.

Inside the walls and up on the roof

English Heritage reopened the keep in 2022 after a major refit. New timber floors and walkways now run through the shell, so you can stand at the level of the old upper rooms. The bare stone above you still carries traces of fireplaces and doorways.

The real draw is the roof deck. From up there you look out over:

• York Minster’s towers rising above the rooftops to the north
• The York Castle Museum, in the old prison buildings just across the Eye of York lawn
• The red roofs of the medieval centre and the line of the city walls

Most people spend 45 minutes to an hour here. Add time if you are pairing it with the Castle Museum next door.

Timing the climb

Every day of the week brings the same hours: 10am to 5pm, with no closing day. On weekdays the quietest stretch is 10am to 11am, right after opening. The roof deck is narrow, so it is worth catching this window.

Try not to come on a weekend between 12pm and 5pm. That is when the tower is at its busiest, and you end up queuing at both ends of the stairs. On a weekend, aim for the 10am opening instead of the afternoon.

Getting your ticket and the steps right

This is one of York’s most-visited sights, so treat it as a booking job rather than something you can always walk straight into.

• Book online ahead through English Heritage, especially for weekends and school holidays. Current prices are on the English Heritage website. Members get in without paying.
• Pick an early time slot if you want the roof deck without a crowd.
• Take the mound slowly. The steps are steep and exposed, with nowhere to shelter on wet or windy days. Check English Heritage’s accessibility information before you go if stairs are a problem.
• Dress for wind on the roof. It catches more breeze than the streets below.
• Read the plaque. Locals treat the 1190 memorial with quiet respect. It is a place for a pause, not for posing.

Getting there and what’s next door

The address is Tower Street, YO1 9SA, at the southern edge of the old centre near where the River Foss meets the Ouse. From York railway station it is a walk of roughly 20 minutes over Ouse Bridge or Skeldergate Bridge. Driving into central York is slow. The city’s Park & Ride buses are usually the easier option, and you should check parking near the castle before you set off.

You can link it with several sights close by:

• York Castle Museum, just across the Eye of York, for Victorian street reconstructions and the old debtors’ prison
• Jorvik Viking Centre on Coppergate, a couple of minutes’ walk away
• The Shambles, about ten minutes north through the medieval lanes
• Fairfax House on Castlegate, a restored Georgian townhouse