City of York Walls

Overview

York's medieval walls are a scheduled ancient monument encircling the historic city. At 3.4km in length, they are the most complete and finest city walls in England. The precinct walls of St Mary’s Abbey are also of national aesthetic, archaeological and historic value and considered to be the finest to have survived from any English medieval monastery. Together, these structures are a major feature of York’s historic environment and civic identity. The walls include significant remains of all principal periods of their development and make visible over 2,000 years of urban change.

Tasks / challenges

The City Walls were last fully inspected in 1990, with a Conservation Management Plan first produced in 2004. MCA were commissioned as structural and conservation engineers to inspect the full circuit of the Walls, provide an engineering assessment of each section, and contribute to the updated 2021 Conservation Management Plan approved by Historic England. We have compiled survey data of defects for the Council GIS system and specified structural monitoring of vulnerable elements.

Activity

The inspections were carried out during the Covid pandemic and included reports, critical measurements and a photographic record of every section of wall. In addition, our engineers have provided specifications for careful repairs and interventions to various key sections, including Tower 2, Micklegate Bar, and Bootham Bar. We also acted as Category 3 checker during the demolition of Queen Street Bridge as part of the Station Frontage project.

Results

Our survey reports and ongoing structural monitoring will provide a benchmark and data to inform assessment and repair of the City Walls for many years to come. In addition, we have set the standard for structural repair within the Conservation Management Plan and carried this into practice with individual projects along the Walls. We are proud to have had a positive impact on this essential feature of York.