Caring for a medieval cathedral on the scale of York Minster is a never-ending job, but our teams of dedicated and passionate craftspeople work tirelessly to ensure that York Minster is preserved for generations to come.
Read on to find out more about our current and ongoing conservation works at York Minster and how our teams of industry experts in their trade are working to protect York Minster for the future. Come and see the works in progress, and come back and enjoy the building when they are complete.
Ramping Up Our Efforts
The Quire Entrance
We are currently embarking on one largest building projects to take place inside the Minster in over a century. The west entrance into the Quire is currently off limits whilst we install a new beautifully designed, permanent accessible ramp into the heart of the cathedral. Step-free access will create a welcoming and accessible space for all to enjoy.
Return in the summer to see the completed Quire ramp, the largest permanent structure created inside York Minster since the 1830s.
The dean explains more
Things are looking rosey
The Rose Window
You may have spotted the scaffolding in the South Transept which will allow us to take a closer look at the Rose Window, after it was repaired following a devastating fire in 1984.
We have removed a panel from the Rose Window to examine the restoration methods and materials used previously and have started work to conserve three huge lancet windows which depict Saints Peter, Paul, Wilfrid, and William of York. Centuries of exposure to the elements have rendered this medieval glass vulnerable to corrosion and paint loss; the addition of protective glazing will help safeguard these precious works of art well into the next century and beyond.
This important project has been generously supported by the Julia Rausing Trust and the Friends of York Minster.
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Miraculous Works
The St Cuthbert Window
After centuries of exposure to the elements, the St Cuthbert Window and South Quire Transept need urgent work to replace and repair eroded and decaying masonry.
All 152 panels of stained glass were removed from the window in 2021, allowing painstaking cleaning and repair work to be undertaken by conservators at the York Glaziers Trust. Once repaired, the glass will be returned with state-of-the-art protective glazing.
Due to extensive damage to parts of the stonework, with large cavities in places. The Minster’s stonemasons are repairing the structural damage using traditional techniques supported by scientific analysis.
See the glass yourself
Completed: 2022
Sculpting the Sovereign
A new statue of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II statue was created by Richard Bossons, a York Minster Stonemason and master carver, and now sits in a niche at the cathedral’s West End.
The statue was unveiled by His Majesty The King on 9 November 2022 and blessed by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.
The unveiling of the statue was the first phase of a much wider vision to create extensive public realm improvements at the West Front of York Minster, including creating a European-style square which will be named Queen Elizabeth Square in honour of Her Late Majesty.
Completed: 2021
Pulling out all the stops
Organ music has played a central role in worship at York Minster for nearly 1,000 years. A £2m once-a-century refurbishment project ensured that this tradition will continue throughout the 21st century and beyond.
In 2018, nearly all of the organ’s 5,000 plus pipes were removed so they could be taken to organ specialists in Durham for cleaning, repair and replacement. Work on the refurbishment project briefly paused in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, before the instrument was rebuilt between June and October 2020. Between November 2020 and February 2021 experts worked to ‘voice’ the organ, a process which involves making sure every pipe plays the correct note, pitch and volume.
Hear the Grand Organ
Completed: 2018
Let there be light!
York Minster’s Great East Window is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the country. A masterpiece in glass and stone depicting the beginning and end of all things.
For 12 years, the 600-year-old window was the subject of a major restoration and conservation project – one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The project involved the installation of state-of-the-art UV resistant protective glazing, which was the first time the material had been used in the UK.
All 311 stained glass panels were removed from the 15th-century window so the York Glaziers Trust could begin the mammoth task of restoring the fragile masterpiece. The project also involved the conservation or replacement of nearly 2,500 stones by York Minster’s stonemasons.
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