Eight centuries after the canonisation of St William of York, history returns to the heart of the Minster. For the first time in 500 years, fragments of St William’s shrine, once dismantled and hidden during the English Reformation, have come home.

We teamed up with social media influencer ‪The History Magpie‬ to explore the remarkable legacy of craft inspired by St William of York.

In the second video, Charlie was invited to York Minster’s Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills and Estate Management, to meet Stonemason Freya. She explains how this centuries‑old trade continues to thrive, using the skills and methods that would have been familiar to St William himself, while embracing modern techniques.

Discover how these centuries-old heritage crafts continue to thrive while embracing modern techniques, and how St William’s story still inspires the work of York Minster’s Stonemason team today.

Watch the next instalment for a sneak peak behind the scenes of the York Glaziers Trust.