York
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York Town Guide, White Rose of York, 1K York Minster York Town Guide, White Rose of York, 1K

York Town Guide, York Minster Sketch, 12K
York Minster, or the Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St Peter to give it its proper name, is York's most famous tourist attraction. It is both a Cathedral, meaning that it has an Archbishop, and a Minster which means that it has its own team of clergy.

There has been a place of worship on the site of York Minster since at least the 7th century when the King of Northumbria built a wooden church here. This burnt down soon after, and over the next 500 years several other churches were built on the site.

Work began on the present Cathedral in 1220 and it took until 1472 to complete. At 525ft long, 250ft wide and a massive 196ft high, it is the biggest medieval Cathedral in the whole of northern Europe, and it totally dominates the skyline of York.

But it is once you are inside that the awesome proportions become truly apparent. The Cathedral has an unsurpassed air of loftiness and, despite its size is awash with light - most would agree it is one of the finest Cathedrals in Britain.

York Minster is particularly exceptional in that it contains some of the best examples of stained glass in Europe, some of it dating back to the 12th century. There is a total of 128 windows, with examples of stained glass from almost every period of history from the 12th century right up until the present day.

The fact that most of the original stained glass has been preserved is largely due to the fact that when the city fell to the Parliamentarians during the Civil War in the 17th century, the leader of the Parliamentarian forces was a local man, Sir Thomas Fairfax. When it looked as if his troops were going to ransack the city of York and its Minster, Fairfax managed to stop them.

Today it is worth examining the different windows in the Minster in detail, for it soon becomes apparent that although the tradesmen took their craft very seriously, the windows contain a great deal of humour and satire.

Some of the more famous examples of York Minster's glasswork include the Great East Window (14), which is the biggest intact medieval window in the world; the Five Sisters Window (7) which, dating from around 1260, is the oldest complete window in the Cathedral; and the Rose Window (18) which contains over 15,000 individual pieces of glass.

But there is more to York Minster than just glass. For example the Chapter House (8) contains some excellently preserved carved stonework considered by many to be one of the best examples of medieval carving in the world.

The Choir Screen (10) dates from the 15th century, and is interesting for its statues of every English King from William the Conqueror who took the throne in the 11th century to the fated 15th century Henry VI.

You can climb to the top of the Central Tower (9) for some spectacular views over the city, but the climb is steep and has 275 steps so it is only for the reasonably fit.

And if you venture below the Cathedral you can visit the Crypt (16) where you can see Roman remains and the spot where the King of Northumbria's church once stood.

Beneath the Cathedral there is also the Treasury (19) which has artefacts from as far back as the 11th century. And you can even get a look at the foundations, which give an interesting insight into the building techniques that were used in the construction of the Minster.

Over the years the Minster has suffered several episodes which have threatened its existence, including the discovery in the 1960s of unstable foundations below the Central Tower (9). There have also been several fires, the most recent of which was in 1984.

However conservation measures and sympathetic restoration work, including the mammoth task of giving the Central Tower (9) new steel reinforced "feet", have ensured that York Minster is as inspiring and impressive today as it has ever been.

The Minster is open daily and entry is free, although a donation is requested. However, there are small fees for the Treasury (19), Crypt (16), Chapel House and entry to the Central Tower (19).

York Town Guide, York Minster Map, 6K

1 Entrance 12 St William Window
2 Nave 13 Lady Chapel
3 West Window 14 Great East Window
4 Jesse Window 15 St Cuthbert Window
5 Bellfounder's Window 16 Crypt
6 North Transept 17 South Transept
7 Five Sisters' Window 18 Rose Window
8 Chapter House 19 Treasury and Foundations
also entry to Central Tower
9 Central Tower 20 Exit
10 Screen 21 Shop
11 Choir    

York Town Guide, Divider, 1K


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