There's nothing like a friendly welcome - and York's Monk Bar offered nothing like a friendly welcome. Would-be intruders not only faced a stone gate complete with portcullis; they were also menaced by these seventeenth-century statues, poised to hurl missiles. As its defensive role diminished, this city gate was used as a prison.
Today, the building holds something more intriguing than menacing. The Richard III Museum asks, did this infamous king really kill the Princes in the Tower? The perennially popular historical debate is nicely rehearsed here with Richard stood in the dock, prosecution and defence arguments presented orally and in varied visual displays, and a chance to give your own verdict at the end. The history of the location isn't forgotten either, with various former cells accessible to visitors.
