Clifford’s Tower, York

York is one of my favourite cities in the world. Much like London, history calls to you from every corner and its connections with Richard III make it somewhere which, although it is not near home, I visit as often as possible.

Already an ancient place of settlement, the Romans founded York around 71 AD and some of the remains of their city walls can still be seen and much has been made of the city’s settlement by the Vikings with the wonderful Jorvik Centre which allows you to experience ‘the Sights, Sounds and Smells of Our Reconstruction of the Viking City’.

Clifford’s Tower stands high on a grassy knoll, looking down across the city. Previously, a timber tower , built to subdue the rebellious north by William the Conqueror, the now imposing ruin has been here since 1245. The wooden structure was burned down in 1190, after York's Jewish community was besieged there by a mob and committed mass suicide rather than being murdered or forcibly baptised by the attackers. This terrible event- ‘one of the worst anti-Semitic massacres of the Middle Ages’- is now acknowledged on a plaque, installed at the foot of the tower in 1978.  

Originally simply known as the King’s Tower, the first recorded use of 'Clifford's Tower' is not used until 1596.  The name may be a reference to the fact that Roger de Clifford was hanged at the tower in 1322 for opposing Edward II.

When I first visited, many years ago, Clifford’s Tower was a roofless ruin. Although there were amazing views across the city, it all felt a bit precarious! However, in 2020, City of York Council granted English Heritage, who manage the site, planning permission to enable conservation and improvements to visitor infrastructure, resulting in a completely new experience. A timber structure has been installed which partially covers the ruin, providing a fantastic viewing and activity space at the roof level whilst suspended metal walkways give access to previously unseen features at first floor level.

The result is quite breath taking, allowing visitors to explore more of the tower and, of course, to enjoy wonderful 360 degree views across the city. Plenty of information boards offer details about the building’s history and, for those who are truly interested, it is easy to spend quite some time here, learning about the role of the tower in York’s history and enjoying the views.

One of the many treasures of York!

Clifford’s Tower,

Tower St,

York

YO1 9SA

Bolingbroke Castle

Old Bolingbroke is a quiet village in Lincolnshire, near Spilsby, once an important gateway to the Wolds from the Fens.

The village church of St Peter and St Paul has existed on its site continuously for nearly a thousand years. Interesting graffiti, left by Medieval visitors, including mason’s marks, font inscriptions and marks to discourage demons from entering the church, is worth looking for and there is information around the church to guide your search. It was probably here that the future Henry IV, son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Blanche of Lancaster was christened shortly after his birth. According to the church website, the font dates from this era and may have been used for this ceremony.

Henry was born at Bolingbroke Castle in 1367. It was built around 1220 by Randulph de Blundevill, Earl of Lincoln and after his death, the castle remained in the ownership of the Earls of Lincoln and was later inherited through marriage by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who became the guardian of Richard II when, at the age of 10, the young king succeeded to the throne.

All that remains of this castle today are ruins. During the Civil War of 1642–1648, the castle became base for a Royalist garrison and was besieged by Parliamentarian forces in 1643. The Royalists surrendered that winter, and the entire castle was destroyed. 

The site is now managed by English Heritage. Open to the public at ‘any reasonable time during daylight hours’, there is a very small car park on Moat Lane with space for two or three cars. Both entrances offer wheelchair access, but the ground is very uneven and when we visited, very wet, which would not make manoeuvring a chair easy. Notice boards offer plenty of information about the site so even those visiting with no knowledge of the periods or peoples involved will gain an understanding of the events which took place here.

Wandering about this site, I wondered about Henry IV. Not one of my favourite monarchs, I know far less about him than I do about his father, John of Gaunt or John’s third wife, Katherine Swynford from all the historical fiction I read when much younger. Both of these are fascinating people, but Henry has never really appealed to me, although I like his cousin and predecessor on the throne, Richard II, even less! Still, visiting his birthplace has made me determined to find out more about him- perhaps starting with Ian Mortimer’s ‘The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King’.

The castle is a beautifully peaceful spot- the only other visitors were leaving as we arrived- and it is easy to see why they would have chosen to build a castle here. Using the information boards as a guide, it is easy to imagine the ruins as they once were and spend as much time as you like, wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere and reflecting on the past.

Henry IV is buried with his second wife, Joan of Navarre, at Canterbury Cathedral, near the Shrine of St Thomas a Becket, the only tomb of a monarch in the cathedral.

Bolingbroke Castle,

Moat Lane,

Old Bolingbroke,

Spilsby,

Lincolnshire PE23 4HH