At the end of Goodramgate is Monk Bar. York has four main gateways into the city and this is the tallest standing at 63ft. The final floor was built by Richard III in 1483 and the whole building houses a museum dedicated to him. If we were to walk up the steps at the side we would be on one of the most beautiful sections of York's city walls which takes us right around the back of the Minster. Much of the walls that we see today are medieval and were widened to walk along by the victorians. The total distance around the city following the walls is 2.5 miles.

When the section of a wall ends was where either a river once ran to or where the kings fishpool stood. This was a marsh created by William the Conqueror's damning of the river Foss to create a moat around his castle. The only section to actually be knocked down is at the end of this walk at Exhibition Square where an outdoor art exhibition was held to help raise money to build the art gallery that now stands there. The other bar or gateway that this wall joins onto is Bootham Bar, this is the northern

entrance to the city and the only one that stands on top of the original Roman entrance. This is also the only section of wall that is built directly on top of the Roman fortress. the other two bars are Micklegate Bar which is the Southern entrance and is also known as traitors gate as it was the most popular of the bars on which to place the heads of traitors, and Walmgate Bar which is the only gateway in England to retain it's barbican, a defensive porch built on the front.

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