City Walls Experience at Micklegate Bar

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The City Walls Experience at Micklegate Bar was a small history museum in the southern gatehouse of York’s city walls. It was run by the Jorvik Group (part of York Archaeological Trust) and used maps, screens and videos to tell the story of York’s fortifications.

Timeline
- Before 2014 it was the Micklegate Bar Museum, covering York’s history from Roman times through the 20th century, with displays including replica heads of famous figures once shown on Micklegate Bar.
- February 2014: The Jorvik Group took over the Richard III Museum. The two museums were renamed and updated: the Richard III Experience at Monk Bar and the Henry VII Experience at Micklegate Bar, opening in April 2014 with the tagline “Two Kings, Two Bars, One City.”
- The Henry VII Experience explored Henry VII’s life as a Lancastrian in exile, his reign, and the Tudor dynasty’s impact on York, using interactive displays, armour and other items, including grisly facts from Terry Deary.
- 2014: The Henry VII Experience was named a Visit England Hidden Gem.
- 2015: It was a finalist in the Visit York Tourism Awards (Visitor Attraction of the Year, Under 50,000 Visitors).
- 2020: York Archaeological Trust closed the site due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and when sites reopened, the Henry VII and Richard III experiences remained closed.
- The Henry VII Experience was replaced by the City Walls Experience, which opened in April 2022.
- 2024: The City Walls Experience closed. In September 2025 plans were submitted to use Micklegate Bar as an art gallery and shop.