Approaching Monk's Bar

Visited 19 March 2006

After climbing the York Walls at Bootham Bar, the first exit point is the next gate, called Monk's Bar.  Medieval York was divided into seven wards, called shires.  The King took six and the bishop got one -- this area around the cathedral (Minster) grounds.  Given its name, I'd guess the Monks ran this gate and extracted the toll which went to the Minster.  There was no entrance here for the public before the 14th century, but it's likely the Minster monks had a small access way for themselves.

Dating from the 14th century, Monk's Bar is the tallest of the four major bars; Richard III (1483-1485), the last in many ways (last English king to die in battle, last king from the House of York, last Plantagenet king) added the top floor and supposedly paid for it out of his own pocket as well as supervised its construction.  It includes cannon ports, state-of-the-art technology in those days (even though cannons were making castle and wall defenses themselves obsolete).  Since 1993, the upper floors have held a museum dedicated to that controversial king (recall that "winter of our discontent" stuff).  Look closely in the picture below and you will see, rising above the green, Lady Jane, one of many blonde roses of Texas, in the land of the war of roses.

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.