In 1196 permission was granted for a local man to build his home above the gateway then known as Lownleith, making Micklegate Bar probably one of the earliest Council houses in York.
The Bar was occupied as a family home from 1196 right up to 1918, when the last occupant P.C. Harry Snowden and his family left. Since 1838 Micklegate Bar had been the home of the local policemen and their families.

According to City Records, Micklegate Bar commanded the highest rent over those charged for the tenencies of the other York Gates. It was very much a desirable residance.

In the fourteenth century, with hostilities between England and Scotland never far away, the Bar was put on a more warlike footing. Two more floors with Bartizan Towers were added along with the Portcullis and Barbican.