A CAMPAIGN has been launched to turn one of Radcliffe’s oldest buildings into a top tourist attraction.

Radcliffe Tower is the only surviving part of a medieval manor house built alongside Radcliffe Parish Church and the ancient tithebarn.

The tower, off Sandford Street, is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument, marking it as a nationally important archaeological site .

The site has become rundown and overgrown in recent years and Cllr Sam Hurst is leading a campaign to restore the area’s heritage and attract more visitors.

He said: “Sadly Radcliffe Tower has been shamefully forgotten since the archaeological excavations in 1980. The council did tidy up the tower site about a decade ago, but absolutely nowhere near enough has been done. To me, this is an astonishing waste of heritage, which we should be proud to exhibit to ramblers, historians and tourists.”

Cllr Hurst, who represents Radcliffe East, hopes the tower site could be cleared, cleaned and made accessible to potential visitors. He would like to see the ground marked out showing the location of the former manor house and possibly have a road moved. He is already working with Bury Council to find out if funding is available to enhance the area and will write to residents and local schools about the project.

He will also co-ordinate talks between the council, Church of England, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund in an attempt to secure further funding.