1. On the line of the old Roman Fortress wall, Monk Bar protected York from the perils hiding in the ancient Forest of Galtres. Built in the 13th century, on the orders of Richard III, a fourth floor was added 150 years later. Over the centuries, it has been a prison, private homes, a police house, a scout room and is now a museum. A devilish example of Medieval technology called a ‘Barbican’ was attached to the Bar, a parallel set of walls with a portcullis (a gate that could be raised) at each end. It was used to trap invaders so they could be killed from above with rocks and boiling oil. The portcullis in Monk Bar can still be seen today and testament to the quality of the technology it is still in working order and was last lowered and raised, with difficulty, in 1953