James Gaston

York Castle Museum

Clifford’s Tower

York city wall 19 Oct 2023 York city wall 19 Oct 2023 York UK --

My own love is for city walls ... those high stone walls which enclose, defend, and unify a city, as we wall off the citadel of ourselves ... Oliver Sacks

The city walls of York are said to be the best surviving examples of medieval city walls in England. We found that walking on and around the walls provides good views of a lot of the old town.

Under the medieval stonework are the remains of earlier walls dating as far back as the Roman period. The Roman walls survived into the 9th century. Then York was invaded by the Danish Vikings who buried the Roman walls under an earth bank and topped them with a tall fence of wooden stakes. The wooden walls were then replaced in the 13th and 14th centuries with the stone version we see today.

We started our city wall walk on the grounds of the Yorkshire museum. From there we headed northeast, towards York Minster, then southeast.

York city wall

York Minster viewed from wall

Dry moat along York city wall

York city wall

Old house near York city wall

Treasury’s garden

The Treasury is between the wall and the Minster.

Treasury’s garden

The Treasury is between the wall and the Minster.

Treasury’s garden

The Treasury is between the wall and the Minster.

St. Anthony’s garden seen from wall

York Minster stone masons

Ok, so not on the wall or next to the wall but pretty close to the wall. The masons are next to the Minster and I suspect that the stone being worked is going into a refresh of the big church.

York Minster stone masons

Ok, so not on the wall or next to the wall but pretty close to the wall. The masons are next to the Minster and I suspect that the stone being worked is going into a refresh of the big church.

York Minster stone masons

Ok, so not on the wall or next to the wall but pretty close to the wall. The masons are next to the Minster and I suspect that the stone being worked is going into a refresh of the big church.

York Minster stone mason

York city wall crossing road

Note the sign in the upper left corner. The Three-Legged Mare is a pub named for the infamous three-legged gallows which are depicted on the sign. Also known as the "Tree" or "Triple Tree," it was a gallows made of a horizontal wooden triangle supported by three legs (an arrangement known as a "three-legged mare" or "three-legged stool"). Multiple criminals could be hanged at once, and so the gallows were used for mass executions, such as that on 23 June 1649 when 24 prisoners (23 men and 1 woman) were hanged in short order.

York city wall crossing road

York Castle Museum

Clifford’s Tower