Kings and Queens of Stonemasonry

York Minster is adorned with intricately carved grotesques, decorative stone figures that embellish the building’s exterior. As part of the conservation project to restore the South Quire Aisle, new grotesques have been commissioned, and our team of Stonemasons are hard at work bringing them to life.

The new carvings depict Anglo‑Saxon kings and queens: King Athelstan, Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, and Saint Edmund. These hand-carved figures are a testament to the skill and dedication of our team of Stonemasons.

Take a closer look at each figure and discover more about the carving process!

Athelstan – Created by Richard Bossons

The first of the three grotesques to be commissioned depicts Athelstan, the first king of all England.

This detailed carving was created by our Experienced Stonemason, Richard. Of the three grotesques created as part of this project, this one is now complete. It will remain in the workshop and, once the scaffolding on the Minster has been adjusted, it will then be carefully lifted into place on to a pinnacle on the South Quire Aisle.

This grotesque was commissioned and funded by the King Athelstan Memorial Foundation.

Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians – Created by Rita Dawe

Accompanying Athelstan on this pinnacle will be his formidable aunt, Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians.

This grotesque is being created by Experienced Stonemason Rita, who is currently in the process of sculpting a clay model of this figure. Once complete, the clay model will be 3D scanned and printed. Rita will then use this printed model as a solid reference from which to carve the stone grotesque.

This process is just another example of how our heritage craftspeople are blending traditional skills passed down through generations with the latest in digital technologies and innovations.

Saint Edmund & the Wolf – Created by Harriet Pace

The third and final grotesque in the trio depicts Saint Edmund and the Wolf. Edmund, King of East Anglia, was killed by Viking raiders after refusing to renounce his faith. He was tied to a tree, whipped, shot with arrows, and later beheaded. His head was eventually found being guarded by a wolf.

Experienced Stonemason Harriet has completed her clay sculpture of this figure, and Luke, our Digital Surveyor, has 3D scanned it ready for printing. The next stage is to begin carving the detailed design in stone.

Discover more about our current conservation projects and get to know the teams behind the works.

Into the Quire: Building an Accessible Minster

“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” – Ephesians 2.14

The creation of the new ramp is made possible through the generosity of the principal donor, the Friends of York Minster, as well as the Mark Benevolent Fund and Benefact Trust.

18 February 2026

With the noisiest and most challenging aspects of the building work complete, the team have made headway on the most exciting part of the project.

The large flagstones have been lifted out of place and work can now begin over the waffle floor – the lightweight flooring that was installed during the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of the large restoration project to save the Central Tower from imminent collapse. The first stone blocks of the new Quire ramp have been laid and the team are in the process of fitting the new railings to the foundations of the waffle floor.

We are working hard to minimise disruption to our daily operations as a living church and a visitor attraction. York Minster remains open for services and sightseeing, with no areas of the building closed off to the public. The integration of technologies, including the use of digital designs and stone-machining, has been essential to keeping this project on track and reducing disruption for all who enjoy this building.

11 February 2026

Since announcing our Quire Ramp Project in January, we’ve heard a wide range of questions about the motivations behind a project of this scale, particularly “why now?”

To address these important conversations, we spoke with Canon Tim, who shed light on the historic, cultural and societal reasons why this new ramp is not only significant, but essential. From ensuring equitable access, to honouring heritage craftsmanship, to harnessing innovative technologies, this project represents a shift in how we care for, and open up, one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals.

5 February 2026

It’s been three weeks since we started work on the latest project at York Minster to create a new accessible ramp into the Quire that is not only in-keeping with the fabric of this magnificent building but also improves access to one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals.

Our team have built the compound surrounding the works, and have completed one of the most challenging aspects of this project – lifting the flagstones from the floor. When you visit, you’ll be able to read more about the ongoing works and see our heritage crafters hard at work.

12 January 2026

In early 2026 we will begin the largest building project to take place inside York Minster in over a century. 

We are committed to making this sacred place open, accessible and welcoming to everyone. Central to achieving that goal is a new a new permanent, beautifully designed accessible ramp into the Quire, the beating heart of worship at York Minster. 

Hear from Dean Dominic on why these works are so important and what you can expect to see when you next visit the Minster.

Meet A Stonemason

York Minster has been home to a team of stonemasons for more than 800 years.

The skills and techniques employed by the team have been passed down through the centuries as they continue to be responsible for the ongoing care and restoration of the cathedral and its surrounding precinct. Every stone is still cut by hand on site at the Minster using similar types of mallets and chisels as their medieval predecessors possessed.

It has never been more important that these ancient skills are sustained through continuous investment in the next generation of skilled cathedral stonemasons.

Hear from our stonemason, Freya, as she shares what it’s like to be part of the team shaping a lasting legacy at York Minster.

Meet the Gardeners

Revealing medieval stained glass

We’re aware that the constant scaffolding on cathedrals has become a bit of a running joke (we needed 16 miles of it when we were working on the Great East Window!), so it’s worth celebrating when we get to take some down.

In January 2025, we are revealing the ‘S5’ window towards the east end of the cathedral. The recently conserved window is slightly unusual. It dates from the late 14th century and we think it can be attributed to John Berg, a rather mysterious figure from that time, but it also showcases repairs from the 1830s following a disastrous fire.

We spoke to Professor Sarah Brown, Director of York Glaziers Trust, to learn more about the window which is being revealed throughout the month as the team work to carefully remove the scaffolding that has allowed them to access this great treasure.

Caring for the Chapter House doors

When your doors are 700 years old, they need some tender loving care every now and again!

Our Research Coordinator, Dr Jennie England, explains what makes the Chapter House Doors so special and why you may see conservators during your visit.

Our Digital Surveyor, has been hard at work scanning these medieval doors. Luke will create a 3D digital model of the doors from the scans, using brand-new technology to hopefully bring new insights into these awesome ancient objects.

Meet Our Digital Surveyor

Creating the Undercroft Museum

York Minster’s magnificent architecture with its medieval stained glass and handcrafted stonework tells the stories of the cathedral, the region and the Christian faith through the last eight centuries.

But travel underground, below the Minster’s floor, and you’ll discover a history dating back 2,000 years, to the Roman city of Eboracum, the Viking stronghold of Jorvik and a 9^th century northern centre of power.

Two archaeological excavations during the last 50 years have unearthed layers of history shedding new light, not just on the story of York Minster, but also on the story of the city of York.

1967-1972: Emergency Excavations

Just over 50 years ago, York Minster faced one of its greatest challenges in recent history.

Surveys of the cathedral’s 197ft Central Tower revealed the 16,000 ton structure was sinking under its own weight, due in part to poor foundations at its base, and was at risk of imminent collapse. Emergency works to underpin the tower allowed archaeologists rare access to carry out excavations.

The project uncovered evidence of Roman activity on the site of the Minster, in what was once known as the city of Eboracum, which was established in AD 71. Remains of the Roman barracks, which at different times housed both the ninth and sixth legions of the Roman Empire’s army, were discovered beneath the cathedral. A column from the barracks’ Principia – or headquarters –, unearthed during the excavations has been reconstructed and now stands on the South Piazza, outside the Minster’s South Transept.

Other finds included evidence of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery and the foundations of the Norman Minster – the forerunner of the present cathedral.

2012: York Minster Revealed

More recently, archaeologists had the chance to explore the hidden history of the site as part of work to construct the cathedral’s state-of-the-art Undercroft Museum.

Findings included a rare silver coin called a sceatta. Its pristine condition allowed experts from the British Museum to date it to the beginning of the 9th century, which provides evidence of a major settlement – complete with its own mint – near the site of the Minster during the Anglo-Saxon period.

Other findings included evidence of a mid-11th century burial – the later era of Viking York. Archaeologists unearthed a cist burial – a type of grave – which was partly destroyed during work to build the medieval Minster in 1220. Archaeologists already knew there was a cemetery on the site, but the finding has helped extend knowledge of the types of burial which took place here, and also the area the cemetery occupied, supporting evidence that the site was used as a burial ground for generations by both Anglo-Saxon and Viking residents.

Archaeological discoveries from both excavations can be seen in the cathedral’s Undercroft Museum, entry to which is included with your sightseeing ticket.

Protecting our irreplaceable glass

York Minster holds the largest single collection of medieval stained glass in the country with 128 windows, the oldest dating back to the 12th century.

Currently more than 50% of the cathedral’s windows have no protective glazing, leaving them exposed to the elements and subject to corrosion and decay, meaning the irreplaceable glass could be lost for future generations.

To stop the decay, the cathedral has announced a 20-year partnership with York Glaziers Trust and an innovative fundraising campaign led by the York Minster Fund, supported by a £1m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The initiative, which it is anticipated will cost £11m to complete, will see state-of-the-art, environmental protective glazing extended to all of the Minster’s 128 mostly medieval windows as part of a long-term strategy to buy time for much needed conservation work.

How you can help

We rely on the support of people like you to protect this incredible collection, because we cannot do it without you. For centuries, generous donors have helped create and conserve York Minster’s stained glass, and so we ask for your help now.

The Chapter of York has teamed up with York Minster Fund and York Glazier’s Trust to conserve the great St Cuthbert Window, a unique and monumental example of art, engineering and history. You can find out more about the amazing story of this important and beautiful window in our exhibition.

Every £1 you donate goes straight to supporting vital projects like this. If you’d like to support the campaign, you can donate to YMF online or see our Get Involved section for other ways you can help.

Conserving the St Cuthbert Window

York Minster’s St Cuthbert Window is one of the largest surviving narrative windows in Europe.

Located in the cathedral’s South Quire Transept, the St Cuthbert window tells the story of the life and miracles of one of Northern England’s most significant saints. It is thought to date from c.1440 and is the only surviving whole stained glass window dedicated to the life of the saint.

Three Great Medieval Windows

It is one of three great windows in the cathedral’s East End, which include the St William Window (c.1415) and the Great East Window, pictured left, (completed in 1408), both of which have undergone major conservation and restoration projects in the last two decades.

Now, after centuries of exposure to the elements, the stonework of the St Cuthbert Window and the wider South Quire Transept needs urgent work to replace and repair eroded and decaying masonry.

The conservation project is the subject of a major exhibition at the cathedral which opened in summer 2021 – Light, Glass & Stone: Conserving the St Cuthbert Window.

State-of-the-art Protection

To allow the work to take place, all 152 panels of stained glass were removed from the St Cuthbert Window in spring 2021, allowing painstaking cleaning and repair work to be undertaken by conservators at York Glaziers Trust.

Once the stained glass has been repaired, it will be returned to the window with state-of-the-art protective glazing, replacing external diamond quarry glazing installed in the 1930s and providing a barrier between the elements and medieval stained glass.

The glass work is part of a wider 20-year partnership project between York Minster and York Glaziers Trust to install internally-ventilated protective glazing to the cathedral’s windows, which comprise the largest and most diverse collection of medieval stained glass in the country.

Stonework Conservation

The original stonework of the South Quire Transept in which the window sits dates back to the 1390s, when the medieval masons used magnesian limestone to create its complex structure and framework, including the buttresses and the window’s decorative elements.

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries this area of the Minster was repaired with a poorer quality of the same stone, which was unusually porous and weathered quickly, and in the 19^th and 20^th centuries this was compounded by the use of Ketton stone for repairs, which reacted with the original magnesian limestone.

The result is 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.

You can see the St Cuthbert Window in detail and learn about the stories its stained glass tells via a new resource developed by York Glaziers Trust.

The Grand Organ Returns

York Minster’s Grand Organ returns following a major, £2m refurbishment, the first on this scale since 1903.

The instrument, which dates back to the early 1830s, was removed in October 2018 – including nearly all of its 5,000+ pipes – and taken to Durham for repair and refurbishment by organ specialists Harrison and Harrison.

The organ was returned to the cathedral last year with work carried out to rebuild the instrument before a substantial period of voicing began in November 2020. The restored organ returned to use as part of worship on Sunday 7 March 2021.

The organ plays a key part in the cathedral’s services, providing the heartbeat at the centre of daily worship within the church, and this once-in-a-century refurbishment will ensure it continues to allow world-class music to be performed at the cathedral for the next 100 years.

Hear the Grand Organ here. 

Dismantling the Grand Organ

Take a look behind the scenes as specialists remove one of the largest cathedral organs in the country for the first time in more than 100 years.

Since 1903, York Minster’s Grand Organ has been at the heart of daily worship at the cathedral. But this constant use combined with the heavy footfall in the Minster which throws up dirt and dust, and the building’s temperature changes and humidity, mean it is now in need of a major refurbishment to ensure its reliability into the next century.

The first stage in this two year, £2m project is to completely dismantle the organ, and during October 2018 this mammoth task is being carried out by a team of eight people from organ specialists Harrison and Harrison.

The team has been on site since 8 October and during the next three weeks will be carefully removing 5,379 pipes, which range in length from the size of a pencil to 10m long. This includes the 100 decorative case pipes which have been silent since the last major refurbishment in 1903 but will be returned to voice as part of the current project.

The case pipes date from the early 1830s and have a high lead content, meaning that the soft metal has bent and bowed in places under the weight of the pipes. Harrison and Harrison will reshape the pipes and line them with zinc to strengthen the structure, before graining and marbling specialists Robert Woodland and Son clean, repair and restore their decorative surfaces returning them to their original splendour.

Other work during the three week period includes removing the enormous organ console and lifting the blowers stored beneath the floor of the North Quire Aisle. The instrument will be transported to the team’s workshop in Durham for cleaning and repair works to be carried out, before work to reinstall the organ starts in spring 2020.

Learn more about the fiery origins of the organ under our Stories section, or to support the project see our donations pages.