The Red Tower is a medieval tower that formed part of the
city defences of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is located on the city walls at Foss Islands Road, on the stretch of wall north of
Walmgate Bar
York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Wal ...
and is the only brick tower in the city.
History
The tower was constructed in following a protracted series of improvements to the city walls in this area under
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
and his successor
Henry VII.
It is the only brick tower in the city walls and this lends its name, which was first referred to in 1511.
The tower marked the southern edge of the walls where they met the
King's Fishpool, restarting at the tower at Jewbury.
The Tilers' Guild were employed by the City Corporation to build the tower in brick, as it was cheaper than stone. This led to a rift between the Tilers' and the Masons' Guilds with the former asking the city for protection following threats against them and damage to their tools by the Mason's.
The tower was damaged by artillery fire during the 1644
Siege of York
The siege of York in 1644 was a prolonged contest for York during the First English Civil War, between the Scottish Covenanter army and the Parliamentarian armies of the Northern Association and Eastern Association, and the Royalist Ar ...
. Repairs to the tower started in February 1645 and continued until 1648.
The red tower fell into disrepair by 1776, where it was shown in a drawing to have no roof and to be missing a wall. It was again repaired by 1800 and used as a stable. In the early 19th century it became known as 'Brimstone Tower' because of its use as a store for gunpowder.
After the Fishpool was filled in 1854, Foss Islands Road was constructed near the tower. It was repaired by
George Fowler Jones
George Fowler Jones (25 January 1818 – 1 March 1905) was an architect and early amateur photographer who was born in Scotland but based for most of his working life in York.
Biography and work
Jones was born in Inverness in 1818. He studied ...
in 1857-1858 and it is this restoration which is mostly visible today.
Modern use
The building was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
in 1954 alongside Fishergate Postern tower, Fishergate Bar, Walmgate Bar, and the city walls that join these structures together.
In 2014 a
Community Interest Company
A community interest company (CIC, colloquially pronounced "kick") is a type of company introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004, designed for social ente ...
, Red Tower York, was set up in order to manage the site.
The site was converted into a community hub and cafe, for which it was awarded a York Design Award in 2018.
Architecture
The tower is brick, built on a stone foundation - the stone foundations may have been under the water level of the King's Fishpool.
It is rectangular and stands to a height of excluding the roof. The original height is estimated to have been c.. The city walls join the tower on its south-west side, and modern walls of reused stone surround its southern and western sides. Externally there are
arrowslits
An arrowslit (often also referred to as an arrow loop, loophole or loop hole, and sometimes a balistraria) is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows or a crossbowman can launch bolts.
The interi ...
visible on the upper floor. The north side has a
garderobe
Garderobe is a historic term for a room in a medieval castle. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' gives as its first meaning a store-room for valuables, but also acknowledges "by extension, a private room, a bed-chamber; also a privy".
The word der ...
with a sloping stone roof, though the raised floor level makes its use impossible.
References
External links
{{commons category, Red Tower (York)
Red Tower York CIC website
Grade I listed buildings in York
Towers in North Yorkshire
15th-century establishments in England
Towers completed in the 15th century