William's motte mound remains but his wooden fort is long gone as is the Foss river water diverted to flow around it. After the wooden forts were destroyed several times, a stone keep was completed in the 13th century. Somewhat later, part of the motte collapsed, causing the tower to crack which explains its list today. It is the only example of quatrefoil architecture in England where four rounded towers form the basic structure.
Here's a poster taken inside the tower showing how it looked when it was functional:
Below is one of those cut-and-paste wraparound photos of the inside of Clifford
Tower (minus the roof but complete with fire marks). The picture distorts
the round tower but not Lady Jane of Houston in green on the upper track.
Lost? If so, click here for a good map of the York Walls (in PDF format)
For more narrative on York, see our description web page by clicking here.