£1.5m work to start to preserve city walls for future generations
YORK’S MEDIEVAL city walls are to be preserved and protected thanks to a £1.5m cash injection from the council.
The council already invests about £100,000 a year on routine monitoring and inspection of the walls, which are renowned as being the finest and most complete in England, but more funding is urgently needed to ensure the 1,900-year-old walls can be preserved for years to come.
The five-year programme, which was approved in February and will get under way this spring, will include work on Monk Bar steps – which have become sunk and twisted – and replacing Micklegate rood where in addition to a new roof, two new walkway gates will be installed.
This will allow the museum in the bar to remain open when the walls are closed for operational reasons.
Road closures will be in place for traffic, but pedestrians will continue to have access.
Coun David Carr, leader of City of York Council, said: ”York’s city walls are the most complete and finest in England, making them one of our most treasured and significant historical assets.
“This is why it’s so important we continue to invest in preserving and protecting them.
“Over a million people take a walk on the walls every year and we hope through this investment many more visitors will continue to enjoy them.”
Shelagh Garside, chairman of the Micklegate Traders’ Association, said: “As Micklegate Bar is the royal entrance to the City of York, it is imperative that it is kept in good repair. We are proud of our bar and the museum that is housed in it. We realise that this needs to be done.”