Richard III Experience at Monk Bar facts for kids
The Richard III Experience at Monk Bar was a special place in York, England. It was located inside Monk Bar, which is the tallest of the four big gatehouses in York's old city walls. This experience taught visitors all about the life of King Richard III, who was the last king from a powerful family called the Plantagenets. Before 2014, it was known as the Richard III Museum.
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Discovering King Richard III
This experience helped people learn about King Richard III's early life. It also explored the big battles that happened during the Wars of the Roses. These wars were a long fight between two important families, the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
What Could You See There?
The Richard III Experience showed how King Richard III ruled and how he died at the Battle of Bosworth. There were also multimedia presentations that brought the key battles of the Wars of the Roses to life. Visitors could see real arms and armour from his time. This included a very rare piece of a gun from that period, which is the only one known to exist.
A New Experience at Monk Bar
In 2014, the York Archaeological Trust's Jorvik Group took over the space inside Monk Bar. This group also runs the famous Jorvik Viking Centre. They changed the old Richard III Museum into "The Richard III Experience at Monk Bar." At the same time, they also created "The Henry VII Experience at Micklegate Bar" at another gatehouse.
Why Did the Experience Close?
The Richard III Experience, along with other places run by the Jorvik Group, closed in 2020. This happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Jorvik Group's larger sites reopened in July 2020, the Richard III Experience and the Henry VII Experience stayed closed. This was because their smaller spaces made it hard for people to keep a safe distance from each other.
The Henry VII Experience was later replaced by the City Walls Experience, which opened in April 2022. As of today, there is no museum or experience operating inside Monk Bar.
See also
- King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester
