6 days ago
How York walls were saved
JONATHAN FRENCH reveals the real story of how the York walls- our precious city landmarks - were saved
IN 1799 the Corporation petitioned Parliament for an Act to enable them to demolish the York walls. This petition was supported by the local newspapers and public meetings. Most cities in England had removed their walls by that time. The only exception was Chester where they were restored to provide a public walkway.
However the petition was not taken forward. One suspicion was that Archbishop Markham, a close confident of the George III, may have used his influence. The Archbishops of York had the right to collect tolls on Lammas fair in August and they were determined to protect their interests.
Matters came to a head when the Corporation demolished the Skeldergate postern in 1807 without consulting the Archbishop.
The Church took the matter to court which ruled in the Archbishop's favour. This judgement was reinforced when the Corporation attempted to remove the Micklegate barbican in 1812 and the new Archbishop, Vernon Harcourt, obtained an injunction to prevent it.
Enhanced aerial view of Walmgate Bar, c 1900. Picture: Explore York Libraries and Archives
The city faced a crisis of accessibility. Its population doubled between 1800 and 1830 and new buildings beyond the walls led to traffic jams at the main gatehouses. In the 1820s, the Corporation, now working in consultation with the Archbishop, removed the barbicans at Micklegate and Monkgate, while preserving the gatehouses.
Attitudes to the city's mediaeval past were changing. William Hargrove, latterly editor of the York Herald, in his 1818 history of York celebrated its mediaeval heritage and advocated restoring the walls to create a walkway for the visitor. The formation of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society (YPS) in 1822 provided an organisation for these antiquarian interests.
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The creation of St Leonard's Place by 1830 exposed structural weaknesses in Bootham Bar. The Corporation initially agreed to demolish the whole gatehouse but a campaign led by Canon William Vernon Harcourt, president of the YPS and the son of the Archbishop, convinced the Corporation to reverse their position. The Archbishop agreed to the removal of the barbican, subject to an agreement that the Walmgate barbican should be retained.
York painter William Etty has been is given the credit for this success due to a misleading biography after his death. He was a supporter of preservation and his letter writing was influential but he was absent from the city in this period.
Statue of William Etty in Exhibition Square, erected in 1911. Photo - Explore York Libraries and Archives Mutual Ltd
It was the Archbishop's suggestion that the York Footpath Association should organise a subscription for the restoration of the southern walls and work commenced in 1831. Further subscriptions were raised to restore the Fishergate walls. Walmgate Bar itself was restored using money from the Great North Railway Company's payment to breach the walls at Barker Tower in 1842. From then on, the Corporation funded restoration but it took a long time to complete.
The last stages around Dean Park were delayed when the Dean and others objected to visitors looking down on their gardens but a popular movement in the city persuaded them to back down, enabling final completion by 1889.
The role of the Archbishops was well understood at that time. Alderman Brown, a longstanding Councillor said ironically that whilst the Corporation began the century attempting demolition of the walls against Cathedral opposition, 90 years later it completed wall restoration despite Cathedral opposition.
