Ring of Steel - Ring of Stone

Situated on the route of York's famous walls walk, Micklegate Bar Museum has stood sentinel to the city for over 800 years. As York's most important gateway, the bar has served a number of important roles since its construction in the 12th century, including being the main point of entry through which a reigning monarch enters the city. Visit the ancient gateway to explore the pageantry and barbaric history that has unfolded between these walls through the centuries.

The People of the Bar

Micklegate Bar was not only a gateway to the city but also a home to many families until 1918. The stories of residents are brought alive in this fascinating exhibition, giving you a real sense of what it was like to live in this historic building. However, it was not just the living that occupied Micklegate Bar; the heads of traitors and tyrants from across York's history were displayed here after execution for all of York to see. Now you can get up close to the severed head of Richard Duke of York.

Conflict and Rebellion

Delve into York's bloody history and explore famous battles, uprisings and revolutions through the ages. Discover how combat has evolved over the years and how armoury has adapted to follow this progression, from The Romans through to the War of the Roses. Investigate the importance of the city walls and learn how they helped protect York from invasion, as well as have a lasting effect on the development of the city over the centuries.

The Battle of Towton

This conflict was unnatural, for in it the son fought against the father, the brother against the brother, the nephew against his uncle, and the tenant against his lord..' It was in these words that the Tudor historian Edward Hall described the Battle of Towton, which took place on Palm Sunday 1461, and which may have been the single bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil. The triumphs and the tragedies of Towton, the greatest conflict of the Wars of the Roses, will be remembered the new exhibition opening at Micklegate Bar Museum on 9th April 2011, marking the 550th anniversary of the battle. Micklegate Bar had an infamous role to play in the events leading up to Towton and in its aftermath; the victorious Edward IV entered York after the battle to find the heads of his father, brother and other prominent Yorkists displayed there and in various places around the city walls. In the flurry of executions that followed the battle, the heads of the Earl of Devonshire and two other Lancastrians were exposed on the Bar as revenge.

Visitors to the exhibition will see new artwork commissioned by York Archaeological Trust and created by Yorkshire-based artist Caroline Miekina to bring the story of Towton to life, together with an exhibition film presented by popular historian Terry Deary. With replica weapons and costume, a Towton diorama and a small display of genuine artefacts fom the battlefield, this new exhibition aims to shed light on this important but neglected episode in England's history