Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 24.djvu/800

Rh 750 YORK [CITY. the four angles of the ancient wall, with the lower part of the wall leading from this tower to Bootham Bar, the upper part of the wall being of later origin. The walls of the English city, enclosing a much wider area, though they have undergone reconstruction at various periods and were much battered during the siege of the city in 1644, are in remarkably good preservation, especially the portion to the west of the Ouse. They contain Norman and Early Eng lish architecture, but the bulk of the walls are in the Decorated style. There are four principal gates or &quot;bars&quot; Micklegate Bar, at the southern entrance to the city, where the heads of traitors were formerly exposed, consist ing of a square tower built over a circular arch, probably Norman, with embattled turrets at the angles ; Bootham Bar, the main entrance from the north, having also a Norman arch ; Monk Bar, on the Scarborough road, the most imposing of the four, probably belonging to the 14th century, formerly called Goodramgate, which after the Restoration was changed to Monk Bar in honour of General Monk ; and Walmgate Bar, belonging to the time of Edward I. and retaining the barbican rebuilt in 1648. Of the Norman fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1068 some portions were probably incorporated in Clifford s Tower, which was partly destroyed by fire in Plan of York. 1684. It formed the keep or donjon of the later fortress, which was dismantled at the Civil War and converted into a prison. The debtors prison, erected in 1708, and the North and East Riding assize courts, erected in 1777, are also included within the castle wall, which was constructed in 1836. The cathedral of St Peter, if surpassed by some other English cathedrals in certain special features, is as a whole the most striking and imposing specimen of ecclesiastical architecture in England. It is in the form of a Latin cross, consisting of nave with aisles, transepts, choir with aisles, a central tower, and two western towers. The extreme external length is 524 feet 6 inches, the breadth across the transepts 250 feet, the height of the central tower 213 feet, and the height of the western towers 202 feet. The material is magnesian limestone. The cathedral occupies the site of the wooden church in which King Edwin was baptized by Paulinus on Easter Day 627. After his baptism Edwin, according to Bede, began to con struct &quot;a large and more noble basilica of stone,&quot; but it was partly destroyed during the troubles which followed his death, and was repaired by Archbishop Wilfrid. The building suffered from fire in 741, and, after it had been repaired by Archbishop Albert, was described by Alcuin as &quot;a most magnificent basilica.&quot; At the time of the Norman invasion the Saxon cathedral, along with the library of Archbishop Egbert, perished in the fire by which the greater part of the city was destroyed, the only relic of it now remaining being the central wall of the crypt. It was reconstructed by Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux (1070-1100); but of this building few portions now re main. The apsidal choir and crypt were reconstructed by Archbishop Roger (1154-91), the south transept by Archbishop Walter de Gray (1215-55), and the north tran sept and central tower by John Romanus, treasurer of the cathedral (1228-56). With the exception of the crypt,