WORK has started on a new dig revealing the hidden wall that surrounds Clifford’s Tower, writes David Mackie.
The ground was broken at the base of the mound on the first of three digs that will be part of a long-term conservation project to establish the condition of the structures below the Tower.
The 20-foot high wall, made of large millstone grit blocks, was last visible in 1935. It was built around 1830, when Clifford’s Tower was enclosed within the newly enlarged Yorkshire County Gaol.
When the prison was demolished, it is believed that large chunks of stone from its walls were used to create the mound as it is seen today.
The wall is visible in this 1920s aerial photo
Mark Douglas, properties curator at English Heritage, said: “The depth of the excavation is the biggest challenge. It presents health and safety issues, but also getting the large stones out to get at the face of that nineteenth-century wall, that’s a big task.
The excavations are being done sensitively. The works have been timed to avoid the flowering season of the famous ‘February Gold’ daffodils that cover the mound. Before work began, the turf containing the bulbs was removed and will be protected and replanted when the ground is reinstated."
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