Tag: Problem

An old castle made new

It feels like being on a castle roof rather than perched uncomfortably on top of a high, stone wall.

I’ve visited York many times in my life, and on several occasions I’ve visited Clifford’s Tower, the ruined remains of a roughly circular stone building on top of a conical grass mound near the centre of the city.

I visited the tower again recently, and was astonished at the work done to improve this venerable structure, work that has utterly changed the place without disturbing any of the old stonework. It will never be the same again – in a good way! Here are some before and after photos:

I took the first image in October 2012 and the second image is from my recent visit almost exactly ten years later. They’re taken from similar angles, and there are recognisable features close to the edges of the photos – a small opening on the extreme left and a doorway and damaged stonework on the extreme right, for example.

I think you’ll agree that the tower looks stark and pretty much ruined in the first photo – almost uncared for (though nothing could be further from the truth). But in the second photo it looks so different. There’s a wooden ceiling and internal structures. The new work is entirely supported from beneath and is not attached to, or supported by, the original stonework.

A new feel, almost a new life

The building is utterly transformed. The moment I stepped inside I felt it was a different place, no longer a ruin but a place for people once again. The wooden ceiling is castle-like and tells visitors they are indoors. Before the new structure was added, visitors definitely felt they were somehow outside. The sky was visible, if it rained you got wet.

The new walkways and stairs make it possible to view the structure from completely new angles, and visualise another floor at a lower level.

There was always access to the top of the walls, but it was cramped and people inevitably got in one another’s way. Now the roof deck makes it easy to walk straight across from one side to the other; it feels like being on a castle roof rather than perched uncomfortably on top of a high, stone wall. Groups can stand together to admire the view and discuss the surroundings.

I’d like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to English Heritage for doing this major work, also to the designers for creating an idea that leaves the old stonework unaffected, yet transforms the feel of the place.

What can we learn?

For me, there’s something here more general than improving an old structure. The work on Clifford’s Tower shows how anything might be improved in radical ways. What about a broken friendship? Or an area of woodland? Or a failing school? Or something much bigger – climate change, or racist attitudes in an entire nation?

Whatever the issue that needs to be tackled, it’s never wrong to consider approaching it in novel and imaginative ways. Clifford’s Tower should spur us on to be more creative and less willing to give up because of restraints and difficulties. Here’s a shining example of a novel solution to a problem that might, at first, have seemed intractable.

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