Fishergate Postern Tower

Located at  Junction of Piccadilly and Lead Mill Lane  YORK   YO1 9AF

The Tower will be OPEN on Saturday 14th February and Saturday 28th February 2026
from 10:00 – 16:00   as part of the 2026 Open Days schedule.

If you are in York on 14th February – treat your Valentine to a unique FREE experience and visit the tower!      (FREE  ENTRY   but donations always welcome)

Climb the spiral staircase of this early Tudor tower, work the model portcullis and find a remarkably complete garderobe, hunt for masons’  marks, see the re-used roof beams and our displays, including brand new replicas reborn from fragments found in our recent archaeological dig.

Disabled Access (Partial – ground floor only)

This event is provided by volunteers of The Friends of York Walls.   If you would like to get involved please email  us at      friendsofyorkwalls@yorkwalls.org.uk

These are the latest openings of Fishergate Postern Tower for our 2026 season.   For all planned 2026 open days please see    HERE

Our 2026 Information Leaflet  (Issue 1  January 2026)  is available    HERE 

To volunteer at any of our FPT Open Days please visit the LINK HERE and fill in the spreadsheet.

Updated 12th February 2026    AF

Open Days for Fishergate Postern Tower – 2026

Located @  Junction of Piccadilly and Lead Mill Lane  YORK   YO1 9AF

Climb the spiral staircase of this early Tudor tower, work the model portcullis and find a remarkably complete garderobe, masons’  marks, re-used roof beams and our displays, including brand new replicas reborn from fragments found in our recent archaeological dig.

Disabled Access (Partial – ground floor only)

These events are provided by volunteers of The Friends of York Walls.  We are also looking for new Volunteers, new Committee Members and new Trustees.  There would be no pressure for you to devote any more time or effort than you feel comfortable with.  If you are interested, or would like to get involved, please pop along for a chat one open day or email  us at    friendsofyorkwalls@yorkwalls.org.uk

These opening dates of Fishergate Postern Tower are a part of our 2026 season.  Check back here to see any updates or last minute changes !

For all 2026 open days please see    HERE

To volunteer at any of our FPT Open Days please visit the LINK HERE and fill in the spreadsheet.

Our 2026 Information Leaflet  (Issue 1  January 2026)  is available    HERE 

FPT Information Flyer for 2026 is available  HERE

Updated 22nd January 2026   AF

Wishing all our volunteers, supporters and followers “Seasons Greetings”, and a “Happy New Year for 2026”.

Fishergate Postern Tower is currently closed for the winter period. 

Open Days for 2026 will be published soon. The first opening of the new season will be “York Residents Weekend” on Saturday 31st January and Sunday 1st February 2026 – 10am to 4pm.   

From the Irish Famine to the City Walls of York

At Fishergate Postern Tower, Piccadilly, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 9AF

To the accompaniment of traditional Irish folk music, see a display of historic maps and census records showing the arrival of Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Hunger in the 1840s and coming to settle by the walls of York in Walmgate.

See the official Heritage Open Days listing HERE

Come and see the original architecture of this 520 year old tower on York’s City Walls, complete with Tudor arches, intact spiral staircase and a complete garderobe still in place.

The displays will focus on the actual people who lived in the houses in Walmgate next to the City Walls, showing how their names appeared suddenly in the 1851 census, with their place of birth a named county in Ireland.

The display will tell the stories of case study families, following their descendants down the decades since 1851 to the present day.

There will be a launch event accompanied by traditional Irish folk music, and living descendants of the original Irish Immigrants will be invited.

The aim is to reach out to the community of residents in Walmgate, an area of underprivileged social housing, and very much a non-traditional audience for heritage, plus the wider community of people who have Irish backgrounds. The event will highlight the connection between the Irish immigration of the 1840s and the walls, introduce a new audience of local people to Fishergate Postern Tower and the heritage of the walls. The target is to introduce 500 new people from York to Fishergate Postern Tower, and raise their awareness of the heritage of the walls and ramparts, and the part their antecedents have played in the area.

Timings & Tours  =

Saturday 13 September:    From 10.00  to 16.00

Saturday 20 September:    From 10.00  to 16.00

Booking information

FREE entry and pre-booking not required.

Accessibility details

The building has a spiral staircase so no disabled access to the upper floors. Some of the display will be at ground floor level.

Additional information

Due to the size of the building, and restricted access on the stairs, the maximum mumber of people per tour will be limited to 24.

Press Release

Official Press Release is available  HERE.

Posted 5th Sept 2025  AF