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York ARTICLES

Fairfax House And Clifford Tower Are The Gems Of York

13th January 2009

York is one of England's most significant historical cities with many sights to see. Fairfax House and Cliffords Tower are two of the main attractions in York with many people visiting every year.

Fairfax House has been given the title of the finest Georgian Townhouse in England. The townhouse is situated in the centre on York and houses some of the most important collections of English 18th century furniture.

The furniture is the work of the acclaimed Noel Terry and also includes his famous clocks.

The house was created as a dowry for Anne Fairfax in 1762, the only surviving child of Viscount Fairfax. Architect John Carr who was famous for his decorative flourishes designed the interior of the house.

Fairfax House is open to the public from mid February until the end of December and offers tours and group visits.

The history of Cliffords Tower is one of tragedy and violence and was the site for two of William the Conqueror's castles.

The first castle was built as a deterrent to the anti-Norman feelings in the North of England. The defences where built from wood and was concentrated around and above the motte. However they were destroyed a year later after the uprising of local rebels, but were rebuilt after the Normans stopped the uprising and punished York.

The Jewish community destroyed the wooden keep in 1190 after they took refuge from persecution in the castle. King Richard heavily protected the English Jewish community, but this did not stop them from being targeted with violence in many of England's towns.

The Jews were scared for their lives and refused entrance to the castle to any of the royal authorities. This led to a mob trying to gain admittance to the castle, so many of the Jews committed suicide and set fire to the castle. The next day survivors were killed as they tried to flee the castle.

The king's chancellor was horrified by the massacre and imposed a large fine on York and also sacked the sheriff and constable.

Towards the end of the 13th century the keep was rebuilt in stone and given a quatrefoil plan.

The keep was later called Clifford's Tower after Roger de Clifford who was hanged there in 1322.