York loved this controversial monarch
For York citizens, Richard III was the people’s king. He might have been reviled by history, thanks in part to Shakespeare’s portrayal of him, but in this city he could do no wrong. Richard had close links to York and Yorkshire. He spent much of his childhood in Middleham Castle in Wensleydale – now owned by English Heritage – and as Duke of Gloucester he would visit York as many as six times a year, staying at a friary in Lendal where the main post office stands today.
After his coronation King Richard returned to York on several more occasions. He stayed for three weeks in 1483, and was given the warmest welcome; the lord mayor and aldermen received him at Micklegate Bar and he was sprinkled with holy water at the entrance to York Minster. Presents worth £450 were lavished upon him and great feasts held in his honour. The highlight was the investiture of his son Edward as the Prince of Wales at the long-gone Archbishop’s Palace behind the Minster.
Info
Address Monk Bar, 6 Goodramgate, York YO1 7LQ, +44 (0)1904 615505 www.richardiiiexperience.com | Public Transport 3-minute walk from Monk Bar car park. Closest bus stops: Monk Bar and Lord Mayor’s Walk | Hours Apr–Oct, daily 10am–5pm; Nov–Mar, daily 10am–4pm| Tip An hour’s drive north of York is Middleham Castle, the childhood home of Richard III and birthplace of his son.
All this courting of the king came to nothing when he was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. He had planned to be buried at York Minster, even drawing up plans for a huge chantry chapel there, where 100 chaplains would pray for his soul. However, when the king’s remains were discovered, he was interred at Leicester Cathedral in 2015.
From 1993, Monk Bar housed the Richard III Museum, run by York writer and performer Michael Bennett. It seemed the perfect location, as an extra storey had been added to the bar under Richard III’s orders in 1484. In 2014, it was taken over by the group which runs the Jorvik Viking Centre and developed into the Richard III Experience, which tells the story of both the king and the city during his reign. Artefacts on display include the barrel of the oldest gun in Europe and a skeleton thought to be from a Civil War soldier executed at Knavesmire in the 1460s.
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