York Castle in the city of
York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons,
law courts and other buildings on the south side of the
River Foss. The now-ruinous
keep of the
medieval Norman castle is commonly referred to as
Clifford's Tower. Built originally on the orders of
William I to dominate the former
Viking city of York, the castle suffered a tumultuous early history before developing into a major fortification with extensive water defences. After a major explosion in 1684 rendered the remaining military defences uninhabitable, York Castle continued to be used as a jail and prison until 1929.