Carving out a future for city cathedral
You don’t get to survive for centuries as one of the north of England’s most prominent landmarks without a bit of TLC. And it is thanks to the loving attentions of Minster Stoneyard craftsmen that York’s gothic cathedral, soon to reach its 800th birthday, doesn’t look a day over 100.
The Stoneyard is home to the York Minster Works Department, where a dedicated team bands together to ensure the health and well-being of the Minster. Modern masons and carvers practice the same skills as their medieval predecessors who constructed the great church. Using mallets and chisels, they shape stones into replacement pieces for architectural elements. They are the latest in a long line of workers who strive to ensure the Minster survives whatever life throws at it. That has included four fires. Some of today’s stoneyard crew helped rebuild the South Transept after it was gutted by a blaze in 1984.
Info
Address 4 Deangate, York YO1 7JA, +44 (0)1904 557200, www.yorkminster.org, info@yorkminster.org | Public Transport 7-minute walk from Bootham Row car park or 8-minute walk from Foss Bank car park. Closest bus stop: Exhibition Square | Hours Visit the website for the next public open day| Tip York Minster hosts regular talks about its collections, including the stonework. Again, check the website for the latest events.
More recent repair work has seen them conserve or replace nearly 3,500 stones on York Minster’s East End, as they toil alongside York Glaziers Trust to restore the Great East Window. A large, badly weathered figure at the apex of the window had to be replaced as part of this process. But no one knew who this was supposed to be. Following months of research and debate it was agreed that the figure should represent St Peter, the saint to which the Minster is dedicated. Alongside saintly Peter the team have been busy hand carving new grotesques to replace those that have been equally eroded by centuries of exposure to Yorkshire weather. Recent additions have included the plague doctor and the Black Prince, who died of dysentery and is captured in mid spew.
The Stoneyard occasionally holds public open days, and work sometimes takes place in a viewing area on the Queen’s Path. This is also where regular stone auctions are hosted, when you can bid on a chunk of Minster stone and own a piece of history.
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