the suitability of the prison was finally brought to a head at the 1821 assizes in york, when an official complaint was made and an investigation begun. the decision was taken to purchase clifford's tower and the waud house, with the aim of demolishing them both to make room for a new, more modern prison. sydney smith, the famous wit, writer and vicar of foston-le-clay, successfully led a campaign to save clifford's tower, emphasising the historic importance of the location for the surrounding city. an alternative proposal, put forward by architect robert wallace, would have seen the conversion of clifford's tower back into a habitable building to form the hub of a radial prison design, but this was turned down.