Discover the legacy of craft inspired by St William of York reimagined in a new film produced in collaboration with York-based studios Hewitt and Walker and Viridian FX. 

Descend into the Minster’s Undercroft Museum to explore St William’s story and how we’ve used the latest digital technologies to bring together surviving fragments of his nave shrine. The shrine has been recreated using 3D laser scanning technology, now employed by the Minster to aid conservation efforts, and a 3D gaming engine, Unreal Engine, used to create realistic environments for blockbuster games and films.

The digital reconstruction of the shrine is the centrepiece of a new film presented by Dr Jennie England, the Minster’s Research Coordinator, who has curated a new exhibition featuring the surviving fragments of the shrine, returning to the Minster for the first time since the Reformation, and artefacts exploring St William’s life and legacy.

The film is not just an introduction to York’s often-overlooked patron saint, but a celebration of York’s long history at the cutting edge of media production, whether in the stained glass found in the Minster, or the incredible digital imagery produced by Viridian FX, whose recent work includes effects for HBO’s House of the Dragon, Netflix’s Kaos, and the blockbuster Now You See Me 3.

Hewitt and Walker, the York-based studio whose work has recently been featured on the BBC and Channel 4, have directed and produced the documentary drawing the story together.

Visitors are invited to watch this short film and discover a new exhibition, before journeying through the Crypt to see St William’s tomb, a holy a historic place of pilgrimage.

Good to know:

Running until December 2026, Recreating St William’s Shrine: A Cinematic Experience is on-view in the Minster’s Undercroft Museum during sightseeing times. This short film will run on a continuous loop throughout each day and visitors are invited to watch for as long as they wish. Entry is included with a sightseeing ticket at no extra cost.

The Undercroft Museum,the Treasury and the Crypt can be accessed via stairs or a lift. Please speak to a member of our Visitor Team (in blue) if you wish to discuss your access needs.