‘Tragic to see’ - growing concern over damage to historic landmark

Tim said it was "tragic" to see damage caused to the historic mound at Clifford's Tower in York (Image: Supplied)

A YORK man has called on English Heritage to tackle damage to the historic mound at Clifford's Tower after witnessing people climbing on and sliding down its slopes.

Tim Mudd, who works close by, said it was "tragic" to see the continued erosion of the mound on which Clifford's Tower stands and has called for stronger measures to protect the centuries-old monument.

Having first raised his concerns with local councillors, Tim says he spoke to English Heritage on August 3 to address the visible marks left behind.

And English Heritage say they are "as disappointed and frustrated as everyone else is by this".

At the time, he said: “There appears to be no attempt to manage the problem of visitors climbing up and sliding down the bank.

"Beautiful daffodils were planted and now there are brown stripes running through them where people have used the bank.

"Especially considering the amount of money that has been spent on the site. It's upsetting to see."

Tim has reached out to English Heritage to address the

(Image: Supplied)

English Heritage’s assistant operations director for the north, Simon Bean, said the team at Clifford’s Tower “actively discourage” people from climbing and sliding down the mound.

He said: “We have taken steps to manage the issue, including bringing in more security at weekends and during school holidays as well as installing signage asking people not to climb.

“We are as disappointed and frustrated as everyone else is by this.

“Unfortunately, much of this behaviour takes place outside our operating hours, and our team can also face verbal abuse when asking people to respect the monument.

"We are reviewing what further measures we could introduce.

"As a charity, we would much rather be spending our limited resources conserving and sharing the historic sites in our care than repairing damage caused by this sort of behaviour.”

English Heritage said it "actively discourages" people from climbing and sliding down the mound and has brought in more security on the site during weekends and the school holidays

(Image: Supplied)

But Tim said the signs discouraging visitors not to climb up the slopes, and instead use the stairs, are “not obvious”.

He said: “One of the signs had been turned around away from people approaching from the bottom that I turned around, and another is in concrete and quite hard to spot.”

Tim said he also feared about the potential fire risk associated with the recent “tinder-dry” grass surrounding the tower following the heatwave.

In an email to English Heritage in recent weeks, he questioned: “How long before a discarded cigarette ignites them?”

Daffodils are planted at Clifford's Tower each spring

(Image: Supplied)

He has called for the grass to be restored, along with the addition of more visible signs warning visitors of the site.

Guildhall ward councillor Dave Merrett said that he shared Tim’s concerns.

He said: “As well as people doing this damage to the mound, the visitors also risk injuring themselves when scaling the grass banking.

“I’ve raised concerns about the damage with English Heritage and would urge people to act with respect around this ancient and sensitive site”.