The North Entrance to York -- Bootham Bar

Visited 19 March 2006

The three-story Bootham Bar leads from old York to the Northern Road.  It is one of four major gates to the city.  The two upper stories were added in the 14th century.  In 1832, these entrances were slated for demolition but, fortunately, were spared.  Unfortunately, Yorkists destroyed the barbicans on all but one of the gates.  A barbican is a defensive enclosure in front of the gate.  Note the stairway to the right added in the late 1800s which takes us to the top of the walls to begin our walk.

As the first defense against the rascals from the north (first tribes, then Scots), Bootham Bar has been a focal point for defending this area long before York was York.  Bootham Bar is the only entrance built on the site of a Roman gate and may even include some of the Roman stone.  During the medieval period, kings would typically grant the right of murage: a temporary tax to pay for wall construction or upkeep, usually collected through tolls. Thus Bootham bar and its sister entrances to York were typically toll booths.

Lost? If so, click here for a good map of the York Walls (in PDF format)

for more narrative on York, see our description web page by clicking here.