In medieval times the defence of the city relied not just on the walls but on the rampart underneath and the ditch surrounding them. The ditch, which has been filled in almost everywhere, was once 60 feet (18.3m) wide and 10 feet (3m) deep! The Walls are generally 13 feet (4m) high and 6 feet (1.8m) wide. The rampart on which they stand is up to 30 feet high (9m) and 100 feet (30m) wide and conceals the earlier defences built by Romans, Vikings and Normans.

The Roman defences
In AD71 the Roman 9th Legion arrived at the strategic spot where the rivers Ouse and Foss met. They quickly set about building a sound set of defences, as the local tribe - the Brigantes - were not very friendly.

The first defences were simple: a ditch, an embankment made of turf and clay, a large timber fence, and timber towers and gates. The fortress was big enough to accommodate the 6,000 or so men of the legion. Inside the defences you could comfortably fit 50 football pitches.

By the third century AD a visitor to York would have found been met by massive stone defences which surrounded both the fortress and the large and prosperous civilian town which had grown up on the opposite bank of the Ouse (The Micklegate side). One of the most important parts of these defences - the Multangular Tower - is still here today.

The Vikings
The fate of the walls during the 'dark ages' is shrouded in mystery. In the eighth century Alcuin wrote about the high walls of the City of York. By AD867, however, the walls had fallen into disrepair and were unable to resist 'the great pagan army' of the Vikings led by Ivar the Boneless.

Under the Vikings York experienced a boom that was not to be repeated until the Victorian period and the arrival of the railways. The prosperous Kingdom of Jorvik was coveted by Viking and English Kings alike and as trade and prosperity grew so did the need to modernise the ancient defences. The Vikings began by covering the Roman walls with a broad earth embankment crowned with a timber fence. Over time they extended the defences to the edges of the all-important rivers.

The Normans
It took William The Conqueror two years to move north after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In 1068 anti-Norman sentiment in the north was gathering steam around York. However, when William marched north to quell the potential for rebellion his advance caused such alarm that he entered the city unopposed.

Immediately upon his arrival 'The Conqueror' built a castle from which to control this hostile territory. In fact in York he built two castles, both of earth and wood, one on each bank of the river. The rampart surrounding the city was extended and raised and the River Foss was also dammed to create an impassable expanse of open water, which became known as 'The King's Fishpool'.

From Medieval defence to Victorian promenade
In 1226 the King authorised the city to raise money for the upkeep of the walls by imposing 'murage taxes' on goods brought into the city. This allowed the stone walls which you see today to be built. In the centuries that followed the walls protected York from rebels and from the Scots and were battered by Parliamentary artillery during a three month siege in 1644.

In 1800, however, the bar walls almost became a thing of the past when the City Council applied to Parliament for permission to 'improve' the city by demolishing the walls! They began by destroying walls and towers at St Leonard's Place and Skeldergate. A campaign of public resistance led to the formation of the York Footpath Association who set about restoring sections of the wall and creating the walk featured on this trail. Nowadays the focus is on conservation and the City of York Council spends around £100,000 a year on its walls conservation programme.