York Historic Environment Record

YORK SE6051SE CASTLE PRECINCT 1112-1/22/130 Curtain wall 14/06/54 (Formerly Listed as: CASTLE PRECINCT Clifford's Tower and portions of the outer walls of the Castle) GV I Part of curtain wall to castle bailey, approximately 85 metres long, incorporating the South Angle tower and the South-east tower; now incorporated into Castle Museum buildings (qqv). c1250; blocked, raised and rebuilt at various dates in C17, C18 and C19. Magnesian limestone, rebuilt, heightened and patched in gritstone and rose red brick in English garden wall bond. EXTERIOR: wall approximately 7.5 metres high, with flat coping, raked up towards the Female Prison building (qv); both towers now 2 stages, South Angle tower three-quarters round on plan, South-east tower semicircular on plan. Restored rebated gateway adjacent to Crown Court building (qv) in roll-moulded 2-centred arch with replacement nail studded door. Both towers have battered bases. On outer side, South Angle tower has single arrow slit to south-west and pointed gateway to south-east side; South-east tower has three cruciform slits to lower stage, and two straight slits to upper stage. INTERIOR: of towers: in South Angle tower, three shouldered embrasures, one altered for insertion of pointed doorway. In South-east tower, lower stage slits in shouldered embrasures, those in upper stage in chamfered, square arched openings. Inner side of curtain wall towards the Female Prison, now forming display windows in the Castle Museum entrance foyer, contains 7 vaulted niches, converted into lavatories in early C19. Scheduled Ancient Monument. (An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York: RCHME: The Defences: HMSO: 1972-: 74-78). Listing NGR: SE6057751374