York Historic Environment Record

Includes: Monk Bar GOODRAMGATE. Includes: Robin Hood's Tower LORD MAYOR'S WALK. Includes: Bootham Bar HIGH PETERGATE. Defensive walls, towers, gates and gatehouses between Bootham Bar and Layerthorpe, including 10 intermediate towers, in addition to the 3 main towers. 1250-70. Wall between Monk Bar and Layerthorpe restored 1877-78, between Bootham Bar and Monk Bar restored 1888-89. Bootham Bar repaired 1645 following Civil War damage; barbican removed 1831; inner side remodelled and flanking arches created 1834; major restorations of 1889 and 1969: figures carved in 1894 by George Milburn. Robin Hood's Tower rebuilt 1889. Monk Bar early C14, raised in late C15, refenestrated in C16; barbican removed 1825; flanking arches 1845 and 1861; restorations of 1952-53 and 1966. MATERIALS: magnesian limestone ashlar; Bootham Bar incorporates reused Roman gritstone: Bootham and Monk Bars have lead roofs.
EXTERIOR: walls battered to full height in places, with chamfered plinth, strengthened by buttresses with weathered offsets. Crenellations have sloped copings and some merlons pierced by musket loops or gunports. On inner side, stone paved wallwalk largely carried on series of round arches, protected by cast-iron railings. Towers are half-hexagonal, semicircular, rectangular or irregular in shape, most having cruciform arrow slits with oillets: one along Jewbury has musket loops. Most have embattled parapets with merlons pierced by arrow slits: one in angle of the wall along Jewbury has corbelled string course beneath reconstructed C19 merlons. Towers along Lord Mayor's Walk and Jewbury have C19 bartizans, the former embattled, the latter with plain copings. Former has carved shield with cross in relief. Tower at Layerthorpe end is supported on 2 buttress bases and reused corbels, and incorporates head of pointed arch of 5 orders: on outer side, water spout survives. Adjacent wall is stepped down to chamfered gateway with 2-centred head closed by iron bar gate.
Bootham Bar: 3 storeys. Round arch of 2 orders is flanked by buttresses with offsets, rising to circular bartizans at second floor level. On first floor are two small pointed windows: on second floor, two blocked rectangular windows beneath plain parapet between bartizans. Chamfered string courses on first and second floors extend full width of front, buttresses and bartizans. Beneath second floor string are two shields carved with the Arms of the City of York, both formerly painted; above is shield of the Stuart Royal Arms within moulded round-headed panel. Figures topping bartizans and parapet represent an Alderman, a mason and a knight. Inner side largely repeats the outer with cruciform arrow slits on first floor, narrow slits windows in chamfered openings on second floor and shallow recessed panel beneath parapet. INTERIOR: raised portcullis fixed in position behind outer arch.
Robin Hood's Tower has high chamfered plinth, 2 tiers of cruciform slits and embattled parapet above string course, merlons pierced by slits and with gabled inside and out.
Monk Bar: 4 storeys. Round carriage arch 2 plain orders recessed beneath giant 2-centred arch of 2 chamfered orders springing from 2-storey projecting pilaster buttresses with moulded and weathered bases. First floor of buttresses pierced by shouldered doorways to original barbican: above carriage arch, 2 tiers of cruciform arrow slits. Buttresses rise into corbelled-out 3-stage embattled bartizans joined at second stage by gallery with embattled parapet, at third stage by plain parapet. Bartizans have cruciform arrow slits to each stage, also to second stage, behind gallery, over square gunports. Heraldry includes 2 painted and carved shields of the Arms of City of York and shield of the Royal Arms of England beneath crowned helm with crest, all beneath canopies. Both bartizans topped by 3 carved figures of wildmen holding boulders. Inner side has giant segmental chamfered arch over recessed carriageway arch with pointed arched staircase door at left. Above carriage arch is corbelled gallery beneath low round-headed doorway, central window of 2 tiers of 3 round-headed lights and 1-light window to left, in chamfered surrounds. Second floor has square-headed window of 3 trefoiled lights in centre, niches with cinquefoiled heads at each end. Third floor has square-headed window of paired shouldered lights at each side of shallow trefoil-headed niche in round-headed moulded surround. INTERIOR: staircases to all floors contained in wall thickness. All upper floors are stone-flagged and roofs to ground, first and second floors are vaulted with chamfered stone ribs. Garderobes and fireplaces survive on first and second floors. On first floor, raised portcullis is visible: on second floor, wooden windlass for portcullis survives. (An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the City of York: The Defences: HMSO: 1972-: 115-137).
Listing NGR: SE6028852410

Derived from English Heritage LB download dated: 22/08/2005

City of York Council, 1991, 1991 City Walls Structural Survey (Unpublished document). SYO2265.

YAT, 1998, York City Walls, Chainages 1800-1900 and 2200-2245 (Unpublished document). SYO382.

PLB, 2004, York City Walls Conservation Management Plan (Unpublished document). SYO1733.

PLB, 2004, York City Walls Interpretation and Access (Unpublished document). SYO1734.

YAT, 2010, City Walls Chainage 2100-2240 Watching Brief (Unpublished document). SYO1221.

Donald Insall Associates, 2021, York City Walls Conservation Management Plan (Unpublished document). SYO2629.