York Minster

York Minster’s iconic Rose Window, which has a history stretching back many hundreds of years, requires urgent attention to ensure that this masterpiece is preserved for many generations to come.

Without urgent investment, the Rose Window is at major risk of being lost forever.

By supporting this project, you are not only preserving an ancient masterpiece but also ensuring that future generations can experience its magnificent beauty.

What is the problem?

The Rose Window, created in the early 16th century to celebrate the union of the Houses of Lancaster and York, is the Minster’s most famous and iconic window.

In the devastating 1984 fire, the Rose endured temperatures of around 450°C and suffered around 40,000 cracks across its 73 panels. The Rose Window was saved through the astonishing work and technical skills of The York Glaziers Trust. This conservation work involved the delicate cleaning of each panel and the injection of epoxy resin adhesive into the micro-cracks in the glass.

An up-close investigation into the window’s condition in 2025 – the first in forty years – found significant deterioration to the 1980s repairs.

Its high, south–facing position leaves it especially exposed to ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation and moisture, which are accelerating stone decay, paintwork damage and adhesive failure. Climate change has intensified this decline. Analysis shows that the window reaches 40°C in hot weather, and increasingly extreme heat and rainfall are accelerating deterioration. As a result:

There is visible degradation to the adhesives that hold the cracks together
These cracks are likely to come apart in the next five years without intervention
At least 30% of the load-bearing stonework around the Rose Window is in decay

Urgent work is now required to save the window before it deteriorates further.

What is the solution?

Extraordinary measures are necessary, given the complex nature of the Rose Window’s damage from the 1984 fire and its vulnerable weather-exposed position.

Our expert stonemasons and glaziers will pioneer digital technologies alongside traditional techniques in stone cutting and stained-glass preservation to save the Rose Window from further deterioration, working onsite in our world-renowned Centre of Excellence.

This will include the installation of essential ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) protective glazing to safeguard the Rose for generations to come. This is a highly specialised system that would shield the window from harmful radiation, moisture and pollution, fully halting adhesive deterioration and safeguarding it for the next century. This pioneering glass has never previously been used outside Germany.

In addition to the protective glazing, work will include:

Glass conservation: Cleaning the medieval glass, consolidating fragile paintwork and repairing leadwork.

Stonework: Conserving (not replacing) at least 30% of the surrounding stonework.

Specialist training: Providing apprentices with hands‑on experience.

Long‑term maintenance planning: Regular inspections and monitoring.

How much will it cost?

Saving the Rose Window will cost £1.4 million. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of The Julia Rausing Trust and other major private donors, which has allowed us to make so much progress with our work.

However, we still need your support as we continue to restore this window and York Minster: every penny counts!

York Minster receives no regular financial support from either the UK Government or the Church of England. Protecting this magnificent cathedral is only possible through the generosity of those who care about it. Thank you for anything you are able to give.

Together, we can save the Minster and its magnificent windows for future generations.

What difference will my gift make?

Every donation, large or small, brings us closer to saving this much-loved medieval masterpiece for generations to come. We need your support to safeguard the cathedral for future generations.

Your gift to our campaign will go directly towards the restoration work undertaken by our expert team of craftspeople and apprentices, honing their traditional skills alongside pioneering and innovative technological advances in heritage conservation.

Find out more about the magnificent Rose Window

Explore the story of one of York Minster's most iconic treasures, from its medieval origins and remarkable survival through the 1984 fire to the conservation work taking place today.

Discover how specialists are working to preserve this extraordinary window for future generations.

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