Tour Leroy, Fortified tower in Caen, France

Tour Leroy is a fortified tower in Caen built from local limestone with four levels rising from a ground chamber through two upper stories to a rooftop platform. Thick stone walls and narrow slits for defense characterize its medieval structure.

The tower is first mentioned in 1497 and was probably built after the capture of Caen in 1346, forming part of the Bourg-le-Roi fortifications. It was later turned into housing and then used as a prison for smugglers. The municipal council decided to keep and restore it on 20 October 1879; the architect Gustave Auvray carried out the work at a cost of 16,000 francs. It was listed as a monument historique on 19 April 1933.

The tower's name has shifted over the centuries: it was called Tour Bazin, Tour de la Basse-Rue, Tour de Lévi and Tour Saint-Malo before becoming Tour Leroy, also known as Tour Guillaume-le-Roy. It later served as housing and then as a prison for smugglers, a use that shows how the medieval fortification was recycled within the town.

The tower sits near Caen Castle, making it easy to visit as part of a walk around the city's old fortifications. Plan time to explore the surrounding medieval walls and castle area in the same visit.

The tower was built using limestone quarried from beneath Caen itself, connecting it to centuries of the city's building tradition. This local stone ties its construction directly to how other structures throughout Caen were also made.