York Gunpowder Plot and Treason Tour

Gunpowder, Plot and Treason
A Walking Tour Through York’s Darkest Legends
Step into the shadows of York’s bloodstained past.
From the birthplace of Guy Fawkes to the final cries at Clifford’s Tower, Gunpowder, Plot and Treason unearths the city’s most chilling tales of rebellion, betrayal, and forgotten heroes. Follow in the footsteps of criminals, martyrs, and monarchs — and discover the dark heartbeat that still echoes through York’s ancient streets.

History is written by the victors — but on this tour, you’ll hear the whispers of those who dared to defy them.

Meeting Point

Guy Fawkes Inn

25 High Petergate, York YO1 7HP, UK

Come on into The Guy Fawkes Inn on High Petergate at 7pm. If you're early tell a member of staff that you're there for the tour, and they will take care of you until the tour begins. I'll be in the bar area, hopefully recognisable from my yellow coat and my pictures from this listing.

What to expect:

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Guy Fawkes Inn

25 High Petergate, York YO1 7HP, UK

Guy Fawkes Inn — Birthplace of Treason
Our story of treachery begins at the Guy Fawkes Inn, birthplace of York’s most infamous figure.

Beneath ancient beams and flickering candlelight, you’ll step into the world of secret plots and deadly conspiracies.

Here, we trace Guy Fawkes’ path from a boy of York to the architect of one of England’s most daring acts of rebellion — the Gunpowder Plot.

Dark secrets and whispered betrayals await, as we delve into the heart of a scheme that could have changed the course of history forever.

15 minutes

King's Manor

The Kings Manor Exhibition Square, University of York, York, YO1 7EP

King’s Manor — Power, Politics, and Betrayal
At King’s Manor, the story of York darkens further. Once the seat of royal power under Henry VIII, these walls bore witness to the brutal realities of rebellion and control.

Discover how the King's iron grip on the North was forged — and how York’s citizens navigated a world where loyalty was a matter of life or death.

15 minutes

The Last Drop Inn

27 Colliergate, York, YO1 8BN

The Last Drop Inn — A Final Toast to the Damned
The night grows darker as we arrive at the chilling Last Drop Inn, a place forever linked to York’s bloodstained past.

At the Last Drop Inn, the condemned of York took their final drink before facing execution. Their crimes, their desperate bargains, their final moments — all haunt these ancient walls.

We remember their forgotten stories, and a time when death was just a heartbeat away.

15 minutes

Shrine of Saint Margaret Clitherow

35 The Shambles, , York, YO1 7LZ

The Shrine of Margaret Clitherow — A Silent Sacrifice
At the Shrine of Margaret Clitherow, we find the story of a woman who defied the crown and paid with her life.

Her death — brutal and unjust — echoes through York’s dark past, a reminder of the courage it takes to stand against tyranny.

15 minutes

Blue Boar

5 Castlegate, York YO1 9RN, UK

The Blue Boar — York’s Highwayman Haunt
Our path twists into legend and infamy as we reach The Blue Boar, a place where the ghost of York’s most notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin, still seems to linger.

Beneath the legend lies a darker truth of violence, betrayal, and death.

15 minutes

Clifford's Tower

Tower Street, , York, YO1 9SA

Clifford’s Tower — Where Rebellion Fell
At Clifford’s Tower, York’s brutal past is written in stone and blood. From Robert Aske’s doomed uprising to Roger Clifford’s tragic fall, this is a place where rebels died and kings tightened their grip on power.
Their ghosts linger still.

(This part of the tour will take place outside of Clifford's Tower, so no admission fee is necessary).

15 minutes