Stepping through Bootham Bar is like stepping back in time. There has been a gateway here for the last 1900 years. On this site stood one of the four gateways into the Roman fortress of Eboracum. Further down High Petergate, past Reed's Cafe, there was, until around 1800, another massive gate inside of which was the Liberty of St Peter. In medieval times the Liberty was a city within a city, a private area with its own laws. It was governed by the Dean and Chapter, the ruling body of the Minster, and was the most important part of historic York.