York Castle’s Clifford’s Tower reopening to the public after £5m revamp

The site of one of the worst antisemitic episodes in English history is reopening to the public after a £5m revamp by English Heritage.

Clifford’s Tower in York is all that remains of York Castle, which was built by William the Conqueror in 1068, and is one of the country’s most important buildings, but for British Jews, it has a dark past.

In 1190, many of the city’s 150-strong Jewish community took their own lives at the castle, rather than be killed by a mob, after rumours spread that Jews were murdering Christian children – the origin of the antisemitic blood libel.

The community had sought refuge in the castle, but when they locked the Keeper out too the King’s troops turned on them. Trapped, many killed themselves rather than be murdered or forcibly baptised.

On and around 16 March every year, a commemoration event is held to remember the massacre at the base of the Tower, with last year’s event held digitally due to Covid.

The site’s multi-million-pound refurbishment has taken several years and opens to the public on Saturday, but plans for a visitor centre were dropped in 2018 after a local outcry. The York Liberal Jewish Community (YLJC) had said the story of the Jews of York had to be “told accurately, with context, compassion, and respect”.

The 800-year-old landmark was the centre of government in the north of England for 500 years, up to the 17th century. Sitting at the top of a grassy mound, it is still a dominant feature in the city’s skyline, having been described as “a skyscraper of its day”.

It was gutted by a fire in 1684, when it was used to store arms and ammunition and has stood as a shell ever since. The refurbishment includes a free-standing timber structure with aerial walkways, which “opens up hidden rooms not seen for 300 years”, while a new roof deck allows for panoramic views.

Earlier this year, York Castle Museum ran a temporary exhibition on the city’s Jewish history using displays and key objects from its collections, including a coin from the time of the Tower massacre, possibly minted by a Jewish man.

The site has become a place to remember the victims of antisemitism. For Holocaust Memorial Day in 2017, young people from economically-deprived backgrounds, or with disabilities or learning difficulties, designed and produced flowers echoing the star of David using a 3D printer, with their artwork displayed next to the Tower.

This week, curators said the Tower was “one of those places that we can genuinely say is exceptional… It is undeniably a place of national as well as regional significance. Some might even argue, a place of international significance. It has an important story, which needs to be told properly”.