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.
FREE entry and pre-booking not required.
The building has a spiral staircase so no disabled access to the upper floors. Some of the display will be at ground floor level.
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.
Official Press Release is available HERE.
Posted 5th Sept 2025 AF
Starting on Wednesday 10th September 2025 the City of York Council (CYC) will be launching “tap to donate” on the city walls.
Inside Bootham Bar there will be 2 tap to donate points, and a website at https://www.york.gov.uk/form/YorkWallsDonate where donations can be made.
CYC are responsible for the care and maintenance of York’s City Walls. It costs over £500,000 annually to fund the maintenance of the City Walls, keeping them free and accessible for visitors and residents alike. This cost is solely borne by the City of York Council and, given the well-publicised financial situation all local authorities face, any donations received will go towards ensuring the walls remain open and free to access, as well as improving interpretation and signage.
The Friends of York Wall support this initiative to ensure that York’s City Walls remain free and accessible for all enjoy.
Posted 4th Sept 2025 AF
Fishergate Postern Tower was open on Saturday 31st May and on Saturday 7th June for two special bookable events as part of the York Festival of Ideas 2025
See York Festival of Ideas website and details HERE
BOTH events at FPT were FREE – but each person had to book a ticket in advance via EventBright.
Come along and hunt for medieval masons’ marks in the 500-year-old Fishergate Postern Tower. We know there are at least 81, so why not see how many you can find?
With three floors, a spiral staircase and an unusually complete medieval toilet – known as a ‘garderobe’ – there’s plenty for all the family to explore. Then watch a professional stonemason cut a mark on stone and, if you like, design your own!
Workshops run every hour from 10am to 3pm, so please sign up for the session of your choice.
Hosted by Friends of York Walls, these sessions are suitable for families only. Every person attending (children and parents/carers) needs to book an individual ticket as numbers are limited.
Fishergate Postern Tower is unusual in having so many Medieval masons’ marks in good condition on its internal walls – 81 of them to date. Hear what current expert opinion is on their purpose and view them with torches on a guided tour.
Then watch a professional stonemason cut a mark on stone and, if you like, design your own!
Tours last one hour and will run between 10am and 3pm, so please sign up for the tour of your choice.
Hosted by Friends of York Walls, these sessions are suitable for adults only. Every person attending needs to book an individual ticket as numbers are limited.
Published 26 May 2025 / Updated Sept 2025 AF
