I don’t believe any city in Britain has more walkable walls than York at 3.4 K/2.11m. The original Roman walls date from 71 AD although there are few visible remains left and what are are mostly buried.
This one was right across from my guest house.
And this multisided one has the original Roman section with the smaller stones on the bottom and medieval construction on top.
The existing walls date from the 12th-14th centuries. Pre-artillery and worked well to keep invaders out. Note the buttress that give the walls strength.
There were four bars or gatehouses to allow traffic into the city.
And the castle, Clifford Tower, was rather small as castles go.
St Mary’s Abby was, at one time the richest in north England. Now is but a pile.
And this is a good example of structural arches.
One advantage of the off season is the lack of leaves allows you to see what would normally be obscurred.
Is that Alice?
A crescent street.
Note the corner bolts on this building.
Half 3.
And to be successful a city needed a river a portion of which was once diverted to form a swamp that was as effective as a wall. The River Ouse.
A chain could be slung across the river by this last guardhouse to keep boats from entering.
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