English: York City Walls Daffodils on the embankment below York's medieval city walls, looking southeast from Victoria Bar. The walls are a highly valued tourist attraction these days but this was not always the case.

In 1800 the city corporation applied for an Act of Parliament to 'improve' the city by tearing down all of its towers, turrets, walls and bars (or gates), as preserving them was considered too costly. Despite opposition from King George III and a campaign by many people to raise money and restore the walls, the corporation managed to destroy three walled fortifications, four gates and some small sections of wall at St Leonard's Place and Skeldergate, and went through with the demolition of the Layerthorpe Postern even after agreeing to let the campaigners restore Micklegate Bar and North Street Postern in 1831.

In 1855, the Board of Health Committee in York proposed to remove "the whole or such part of the city walls between Walmgate Bar and Red Tower as may be considered requisite to improve that locality". They argued that the walls here were of no particular historic interest and that they were a cause of ill-health by obstructing the free circulation of air. The committee's proposal was rejected and York's remaining city walls eventually became a scheduled ancient monument and a Grade One listed building.