Mickelgate Bar

Visited 19 March 2006

 "Off with his head and set it on York's gates; so York may overlook the Town of York

Not from Alice in Wonderland but instead Shakespeare's Queen Margaret ferklempt with the Duke Of York in Henry VI, Part 3

By now, we've proceeded clockwise over about 2/3rds of the York walls since our start at Bootham Bar. 

Below is the four-story Mickelgate Bar, so named from the Viking word for great or much (mykla) and street (gate).  This is perhaps the most famous of York's gates as it was the entrance you'd use if you came on the road from London.  Depending upon your station in life, you would be greeted well or part of the greeting: If you were king, then a lot of decoration and pomp would be lavished on you.  However, you'd still have to stop at Mickelgate Bar and ask permission of the mayor to enter.  (Today for we commoners, a Visa or American Express cards hidden in a  pocket gets us in unchallenged).   In days of old, if the king wanted to encourage behavior modification, he'd have you decapitated and your head placed on a long stick here for a while to feed the birds.  (He'd also likely have you drawn and quartered with body parts generously distributed to the other bars, but before the days of forensic DNA, the head would be a better reminder to passers-through as to who was being so dishonored.)  Future lawyers today have it easier when they fail to pass the bar.

War is no rose garden: Probably the most famous head displayed here was that of home-town boy and king-wannabe Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (father of that Richard III guy who died 25 years later).  Plantagenet's son, Edward IV, rescued it three months later, replacing it with four Lancastrian heads.    Obviously, he was trying to bring the War of the Roses which Richard of York had started to a head.  (Richard III -- Richard Plantagenet's other son -- would finish it by giving up his head later).  While never king, Richard won the DNA battle:  All monarchs of England since 1603 trace their lineage through his granddaughter, Elizabeth of York, (who, incidentally, is the queen whose picture is on playing cards).  She accomplished this by marrying the family's nemesis, Henry VII and bearing 7 or 8 children (who can count that high), including Henry VIII.

Mickelgate Bar replaced a wooden gate in the 12th century.  (Note the Norman arch still somewhat in the dark ages in the photo below).  During the 14th century, the upper stories were added to house a portcullis.  Big on recycling, Yorkers used leftover Roman stone including a few coffins.  A barbican was also added then but removed in the 19th century as were those of all but one of the other York bars.   

Look closely in the picture to see Jane of Houston, head intact, on the second story; this gives you an idea of how vacant the walls are in mid March, even on a sunny day.  Apparently, the two million other annual visitors stayed away.  Probably they wanted the birthday girl to have the walls to herself.

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.