Radcliffe Tower is the only surviving part of a manor house in Radcliffe,

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

(

historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

), England. It is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The house was rebuilt in 1403 by James de Radcliffe, who was lord of the manor of Radcliffe, and consisted of a stone-built hall and one or two towers, probably built with

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

blocks. De Radcliffe was given a royal

licence to fortify In medieval England, Wales and the Channel Islands a licence to crenellate (or licence to fortify) granted the holder permission to fortify his property. Such licences were granted by the king, and by the rulers of the counties palatine within the ...

the site including adding

crenellation A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

s and battlements. The manor house was demolished in the 19th century leaving only the tower. The tower measures by and survives to about in height. The remains are owned by Bury Council. It was used as a pig sty before being restored. Radcliffe Tower is about south of Bury Castle, a late 15th-century moated manor house. In 2009, plans to restore the shell of the tower as part of a wider restoration project covering Radcliffe E'es, Close Park and the parish church were launched with the support of Bury Council.

Gallery

File:Radcliffe tower engraving.png, The tower in the early 19th century with the manor house on the right prior to its demolition.

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External links

{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1403 Houses completed in the 15th century Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury Scheduled monuments in Greater Manchester Radcliffe, Greater Manchester Archaeological sites in Greater Manchester

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