Talk:York city walls
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I seem to recall that one portion of the walls ends in "the middle of nowhere" in what was once a bog. I recall there was a small blockhouse at that point. Looking at the street map, am I right in assuming it was along the portion on the southeast of downtown, east of the Foss? Was it at the northern end? Maury 23:57, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
- You've got the right area, but there are two portions that end in the middle of nowhere. Following the wall from Monk Bar towards Walmgate Bar, you arrive at a small (nineteenth-century, I think) tower and a flight of steps down to Peaseholme Green. Coming in the other direction from Walmgate Bar, the wall ends at the Red Tower, a two-storey brick building dating back to 1490 and much restored, probably the blockhouse that you remember. In between was the King's Pool (or Fishpool), where the Foss was dammed by the Normans. In the later Middle Ages it was also called the Marshes, and it gradually silted up (hence Foss Islands Road) and was used as a dumping-ground for refuse. Finally, the Foss was canalised and the land reclaimed for building.
- I've been thinking of expanding the article - there is a lot more that could be said. --GuillaumeTell 12:00, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
- It's definitely the Red Tower, I remember it now. I also recall walking along Islands Road to get to the next section. It was a fun way to waste away a hangover, walking the length. I particularly liked the part in the park, although the Peacocks are not something you want to encounter with a splitting headache... Maury 23:40, 5 March 2007 (UTC)
"Bar Walls"
I live in York and a lot of people I know refer to the walls as the "Bar Walls" rather than the "City Walls". Can anyone else from York verify whether this is a legitimate local name for the walls?