Location: Home > News > Stone Auction Raises Over £20, 000 for York Minster’s Ongoing Restoration
Stone Auction Raises Over £20, 000 for York Minster’s Ongoing Restoration
Published: on 26th February 2010 by Kendal Mosley-Chalk in Minster News
On Saturday 20th February, visitors had the chance to take a piece of history home with them at the York Minster Stone Auction, held in the Minster School Grounds. The Stone Auction was so successful that 184 pieces of stone were auctioned off, raising a total of £20, 071.59 which will go towards the restoration and conservation of York Minster.
The stones on offer were removed from the Minster during previous restoration work and a brief description was provided within the stone auction brochure. Buyers were then given a certificate of authentication for the stone purchased.
Individual lots ranged from complex tracery panels, finials and pinnacles to smaller stones with simpler masonry detail. Stones such as these can be used as stand-alone garden features, or used to enhance a garden pond or rockery, indoors as bases for table lamps or just as ornaments.
During stonework restoration projects on the fabric of the Minster, stone replacement is often necessary to replace decayed or structurally unsound material. All material removed is examined by the Minster Archaeologist; the pieces are numbered, listed and photographed as part of the ‘worked stone inventory’. A number of pieces are retained by the Minster as being of significance in the archaeological history of the building; this procedure is in accordance with Minster’s legislative responsibility under the 1990 Care of Cathedrals Measure. There is not enough room to store every stone taken off the building, so the surplus stones were auctioned and the profits reinvested in the restoration of the Minster.
The auction was generously supported by Stephenson & Son, leading independent auctioneers in the Vale of York. Rebecca Thompson, Superintendent of Works at York Minster, said, ‘We are absolutely thrilled at how much money the Stone Auction raised, and incredibly grateful to the many staff who generously gave their time to this cause and the fabulous support and enthusiasm from all who attended. We hope to be able to do another auction at the same time next year’
To find out more about the current restoration programme at York Minster, or to make a donation, please visit www.yorkminster.org