City Walls Experience at Micklegate Bar facts for kids
Micklegate Bar, York
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| Location | Micklegate Bar, York, England |
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| Type | Local history museum |
| Owner | Jorvik Group (YAT) |
| Public transit access | York Station  0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
| Nearest car park | Nunnery Lane Car Park |
The City Walls Experience at Micklegate Bar is a cool museum in York, England. It is found inside the southern gatehouse of the historic city walls. The Jorvik Group, which is part of the York Archaeological Trust, runs this museum. It uses maps, screens, and videos to share the exciting story of the strong walls that protect the city.
History of the Museum
What Was Here Before?
Before 2014, the building was home to the Micklegate Bar Museum. This museum covered a long period of York's history. It showed everything from Roman times up to the 1900s. One interesting part of the exhibits included copies of the heads of famous historical figures. These were people like Richard of York and Sir Henry Percy. Their real heads were once displayed on Micklegate Bar a long time ago.
Two Kings, One City
In February 2014, the Jorvik Group took over the museum. They changed its name and updated what was inside. This created two new museums that worked together. One was the Richard III Experience at Monk Bar. The other was the Henry VII Experience at Micklegate Bar. Both museums opened in April 2014. Their slogan was "Two Kings, Two Bars, One City."
The museum at Micklegate Bar focused on the early life of Henry VII. He was a Lancastrian who lived in exile. It also showed his time as king after the Wars of the Roses. The museum explained how the Tudor royal family changed the city of York. It used fun, interactive displays and multimedia shows. There were also real items like suits of armor. Plus, it featured "grisly facts" from Terry Deary, the writer of the popular Horrible Histories books.
Awards and Changes
The Henry VII Experience won an award called 'Hidden Gem' in October 2014 and again in February 2018. This award came from Visit England. In 2015, it was also a finalist for 'Visitor Attraction of the Year'. This was for museums with fewer than 50,000 visitors. It was nominated along with the Richard III Experience.
In 2020, the York Archaeological Trust closed the museum. This happened when the COVID-19 pandemic began. When larger sites reopened in July 2020, both the Richard III and Henry VII experiences stayed closed. This was because their small size made social distancing difficult. The Henry VII Experience was then replaced by the new City Walls Experience. This new museum opened its doors in April 2022.
