York Historic Environment Record

A scheme of archaeological investigation undertaken to mitigate the impact and maximise the research dividend of a programme of visitor improvement and conservation works at Clifford’s Tower, York. The archaeological programme involved controlled archaeological ground reduction across the interior of the tower and in the forebuilding, alterations to the motte slope in the form of three rest bays, archaeological monitoring of new service trenches and excavation in advance of the construction of an attenuation tank at the foot of the motte. A structural watching brief and programme of fabric recording was also undertaken in concert with the installation of a new gantry structure inside the tower to provide access to the upper levels of the structure including garderobes, a new roof platform, recommissioning and extension of the bartizan stairs, replacement of the entrance kiosk as well as a programme of conservation works to the interior and exterior masonry, including the chapel roof. The results have provided new understanding of Clifford’s Tower and its motte from the pre-Conquest period to the modern day. In addition, a clearer view of the original conception and execution of the 13th-century stone tower, its design, form and adaptation has emerged. This includes the significant discovery that the design did not include a central pier as well as new insight into the arrangement of windows, internal floor levels, the wall head, the chapel and the well which appears to have formed the only deposit trap for medieval material assemblages.