Anglian Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Anglian Tower |
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| Part of York city walls | |
| Yorkshire, England | |
Anglian Tower
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 The Anglian Tower
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| Coordinates | 53°57′41″N 1°05′19″W / 53.9615°N 1.0885°W |
| Grid reference | grid reference SE599521 |
| Type | Tower |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruined |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Anglian Tower | |
| Designated: | 14 June 1954 |
| Reference #: | 1257157 |
The Anglian Tower is an old tower that was built a very long time ago, during the Early Middle Ages (around 600-900 AD). It is part of the famous York city walls in York, England. You can find it on the inside part of the city walls, near the York City Library and the York Museum Gardens.
Finding the Anglian Tower
The Anglian Tower was first found by workers in 1839. They were digging a tunnel from St Leonard's Place to Mint Yard. It was likely found again in 1934 by the City Engineer.
Archaeologists did some digging around the tower in 1969. They only uncovered a small area. The tower is located where two Roman towers might have stood before. These Roman towers were part of a large Roman fort in York.
What Was the Tower For?
Historians are not completely sure what the Anglian Tower was used for. There are no other towers quite like it in Britain or Europe from that time. It's hard to know exactly when it was built, but it was probably around the mid-600s or mid-800s AD.
The tower has two doorways at its base. These were designed to let a guard walk through behind the old Roman fort wall. There is no sign that the tower chamber had any other use than to allow people to move along the walls.
We don't know what the top part of the tower looked like or what it was used for. It might have been a watchtower to spot enemies. It could also have been a platform for archers or even early artillery (like catapults). However, there is no proof to confirm any of these ideas. The tower's position suggests there might have been other similar towers nearby.
What You Can See Today
The Anglian Tower is a small square tower. It is built from stone and has arched doorways. The inside has a curved, tunnel-like ceiling. The parts that are still standing are over three meters (about 10 feet) tall. It stands right next to the later Medieval City Wall.
There is a sign on the tower that explains its history. It says that the tower is the lower part of a building. It was built into a gap in the Roman fort wall from the 4th century. This might have happened during the time of King Edwin of Northumbria (616–632 AD). The tower was hidden under later Viking and other earth walls. It was then found again in 1839.
Another sign remembers archaeologist Jeffrey Radley. He was an important person who led the digging work at the tower. He was commemorated for his work at the site in 1970.
