North Bar

A vestige of Beverley’s town walls, the North Bar is a 15th-century brick-built gate, still used by road traffic on the A164. The portal is only wide enough for a single lane, so traffic is controlled by lights, while pedestrians can pass through the arches to the side.

This was used as a toll gate in Medieval times, and would be locked at night in times of conflict like the English Civil War in the 17th century.

The north side has buttresses flanking the portal, which is crested by a cartouche and coat of arms.

At the top, the parapet is crenellated and was used by the town governors as a private gallery to watch Beverley’s Corpus Christi festivals in the 15th and 16th centuries.

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