Home to an ancient murder mystery
The Red Tower owes its existence to the Wars of the Roses. After a 1489 rebellion damaged both Walmgate and Fishergate Bars, Henry VII ordered improvements to York’s defences. By 1490, the Red Tower was under construction.
The city has many ancient and interesting towers, but this is the only one made of brick, a cost-cutting measure. It once had a roof and battlements similar to those on Monk Bar, and would have been more imposing – the ground level has been raised considerably since it was built, and the original bottom floor has been buried.
Info
Address Foss Islands Road, York YO31 7UL, www.yorkwalls.org.uk | Public Transport Closest bus stops: Walmgate and Layerthorpe | Hours City walls: 8am–dusk; check the website for the next opening of the Red Tower| Tip Visit the York Walls website to access the City Walls Trail, which takes you the whole way round, starting from Bootham Bar and revealing all the history as you go.
The Red Tower is the location of a 500-year-old murder mystery. The decision to build it of brick angered the masons’ guild, which controlled all stonework in York, and delighted the tilers, who were responsible for bricklaying. It sparked a vicious feud between the two groups, and the tilers claimed they were being threatened and that their tools were being stolen. Then in 1491, a tiler, John Patrick, was murdered. York Minster’s master mason, William Hindley, and another man were charged with his murder. According to a history of the Red Tower, “Hindley seemed totally unashamed, and it is reported that he employed a man to shout news of his imprisonment through the streets of York, so that all who had business with him should know where to find him.” No one was convicted of Patrick’s murder. The tilers finished the Red Tower, but no other brick towers were built.
In 2014, the tower was opened to the public for the first time in living memory as part of a campaign to return it to use. Plans are afoot to create a community kitchen, cafe, and activity space within its old walls.
The Red Tower is only one of a number of interesting structures on the city walls which are sometimes overlooked. These include Fishergate Postern Tower, the Victorian “pepper pot” turrets near Bootham Bar, the Monk Bar Ice House, and Davy Tower next to the Ouse.
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