England · Partial ruin
Radcliffe Tower
Radcliffe Tower is the surviving tower remnant of a medieval manor house in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, rebuilt in 1403 by James de Radcliffe. The manor originally comprised a stone-built hall and one or two towers and was licensed to receive crenellations and battlements; the rest of the house was demolished in the 19th century and the shell survives as a scheduled monument and Grade I listed building.
Its prime
1403
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1403
What Radcliffe Tower looked like in its prime.
In its prime the site comprised a stone-built rectangular manor with a long hall attached to at least one projecting tower, all faced in coursed ashlar blocks. Walls rose to a crenellated parapet and battlement walks ran atop the tower and curtain. The ground floor featured a pointed arched main entrance and narrow vertical windows in the tower; larger glazed openings lit the hall. The roofs were pitched and covered with fired roof tiles, set on level parkland with scattered trees.
Its story
The story of Radcliffe Tower.
Radcliffe Tower is the only surviving part of a manor house rebuilt in 1403 by James de Radcliffe, lord of the manor of Radcliffe. Granted a royal licence to fortify the site, including the addition of crenellations and battlements, de Radcliffe's house comprised a stone-built hall and one or two towers, probably constructed with ashlar blocks.
The manor house was demolished in the 19th century, leaving only the tower, which survives to a height of about 20 feet and was used as a pigsty before being restored. Now owned by Bury Council, it is a scheduled monument and Grade I listed building; archaeological excavations since 2012, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, have uncovered medieval glazed floor tiles, roof tiles and 15th-century pottery.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1403.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Radcliffe Tower, including 3 interiors: great hall interior, upper chamber of the tower, area of medieval floor tiles (archaeological interior). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Build Your Own Castle
Recreate Radcliffe Tower with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1403, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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Clans who held Radcliffe Tower.
The families that held Radcliffe Tower for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Radcliffe
The manor house was rebuilt in 1403 by James de Radcliffe, lord of the manor of Radcliffe, under royal licence to fortify.
Nearby
