Lendal Tower & Barker Tower York

Lendal Tower & Barker Tower

Lendal & Barker Towers, York

The Lendal Tower & Barker Tower in York are on opposite banks of the River Ouse.

They formed part of the city's Medieval defences. A chain was stretched between the two towers to stop intruders and also to collect a toll on boats entering the city.

Until the construction of Lendal Bridge in 1863 a ferry service operated between the two towers.

The two towers are close to the Yorkshire Museum in Museum Gardens and York Art Gallery.

Lendal Tower

The Lendal Tower dates from around 1300 and was originally circular in shape like the Barker Tower.

In the early 17th century the tower was used to pump water to the city of York through a system of pipes, beginning with horse power and then later a steam engine. In the mid-19th century the building was converted for use as offices.

Nowadays the tower serves as rental accommodation.

Barker Tower

Barker Tower is on the west bank of the River Ouse and retains pretty much its original Medieval appearance. Its name derives from "barker" meaning tanner or leather worker. This was the base for the ferry workers operating the boat across the Ouse.

The tower is now unoccupied but has seen a variety of uses over the years including as a mortuary in the 19th century. Flooding often cuts off the tower from the bank and Memorial Gardens behind it.

Access - Getting to York

York Station, just outside the city walls, is York's main station with trains to Manchester Piccadilly, London King's Cross, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Durham, Inverness and Newcastle.

There are CrossCountry trains to Darlington, Durham, Newcastle Central, Berwick-on-Tweed, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Dundee and Aberdeen.

Services south on CrossCountry include trains to Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Exeter St Davids, Plymouth, Penzance, Reading and Southampton.

First TransPennine Express has services to Leeds, Huddersfield, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street as well as Scarborough, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle Central.

Northern Rail has rail connections to Knaresborough, Harrogate and Leeds, Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Blackburn, Preston, Blackpool North Selby and Hull Paragon as well as infrequent trains to Sheffield.

Long distance National Express buses run nationwide from the bus station in Rougier Street, a short walk north of York Station.