York city walls
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The city of York in Yorkshire, England has, since Roman times, been defended with walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England.
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[edit] History
The Romans built a fort on the banks of the River Ouse, and circled the town of Eboracum with walls. These form the foundation and, for the most part, the line, of the existing walls. The Multangular Tower in the York Museum Gardens is the most noticeable and intact Roman structure relating to the walls. It was constructed as part of a series of eight similar defensive towers, built on the orders of the Emperor Septimius Severus, who lived in York from 209 to 211 AD. It has ten sides and is almost 30 feet tall. The lower courses are original Roman stonework, though the upper course with arrowslits is a later medieval addition.
The Danish occupied the city in 867. By this time the Roman defences were in poor repair, and the Danes demolished all the towers save the Multangular Tower and restored the walls.
The majority of the remaining walls date from the 12th - 14th century, with some reconstruction carried out in the 19th century.
[edit] Bars
The walls are punctuated by four main gatehouses, or 'bars', Bootham Bar, Monk Bar, Walmgate Bar and Micklegate Bar. These restricted traffic in medieval times, and were used to extract tolls, as well as being defensive positions in times of war.
[edit] Bootham Bar
Although much of Bootham Bar was built in the 14th and 19th centuries, it also has some of the oldest surviving stonework, dating to the 11th century.
[edit] Monk Bar
This four-story gatehouse is the most elaborate of the four, and was built in the early 14th century. It was intended as a self-contained fort, and each floor is capable of being defended separately. It now contains the Richard III Museum.
[edit] Walmgate Bar
Walmgate Bar has an unusually well preserved barbican.
[edit] Micklegate Bar
The name of this four story high gatehouse is from the Old Norse 'mykla gata' or 'great street', and leads onto Micklegate ('gate' is Norwegian for 'street' remaining from Viking influence in York). It was the traditional ceremonial gate for monarchs entering the city, who, in a tradition dating to Richard II in 1389, touch the state sword when entering the gate.
A 12th century gatehouse was replaced in the 14th century with a heavy portcullis and barbican. The upper two floors contain living quarters, which today are a museum of the bar, and the city. Its symbolic value led to traitor's decapitated head being displayed on the defenses. Heads left there to rot included: Henry Percy (1403), Lord Scrope (1415), Richard, Duke of York (1461), and the Earl of Northumberland (1572).
[edit] Minor bars
Besides the four main bars, there are two smaller bars.
[edit] Fishergate Bar
Bricked up following riots in 1489, Fishergate Bar was reopened in 1827 and today provides pedestrian access through the walls between Fishergate and George Street.
[edit] Victoria Bar
As the name suggests, this bar is a 19th century addition to the walls. It was opened in 1838 to provide direct access between Nunnery Lane and Bishophill.
[edit] External links
- York City website on the walls
- VR York - panoramic photos
- City Bar walls photo site
- Index to several photos of the walls
- Street map showing plan of the walls
Categories: York | Walls | Fortification
