Birdseye View

Anyone visiting the Minster and climbing the tower would have had a unique view of the cycling race circuit.

Broderers Guild

In the north choir aisle of the Minster is a collection of panesl worked by the Broderers guild. Displaying needlework skills of the highest order the panels depict birds and animals found in carvings and stained glass windows around the Minster. Some have obvious religious significance such as this one, others depict more ordinary creatures such as butterflies and tigers. Well worth seeking out if you visit.

Private View

The walk around the city walls from Bootham Bar to Monk Bar gives some of the most attractive views in York. This is a view of the Minster and surrounding building that is only visible from this section of the city walls. A plaque near here records that this portion of the wall was restored to the city in 1889 by Edwin Gray who served as Lord Mayor in 1898. The house directly in front of the Minster is Gray's Court and my guess is that he owned not only one of the finest houses in the city but also one of the best views. Now that view is free to anyone walking around the walls.

Stone faced

Not quite sure who this rather bizarre sandstone statue represents but as he is leaning on an anvil and holding a hammer it could be Hephaestus. Behind him is a rather more attractive stone edifice in the shape of York Minster Chapter House.

Choose your Spot

Some people like to sit in the shade and others prefer the sunshine. I am a shade person myself, how about you?

Who's the Daddy?

St William was Archbishop of York in the mid 12th century, he was canonised in 1227. His tomb was in a sorry state of repair and the decision was taken to replace it during the 1967-72 excavations in the Minster. On opening the tomb it was found to contain not only the remains of St William but those those of a baby. The identity of the baby is unknown, suggestions include a stonemason's unbaptised child, or Prince William of Hatfield, baby son of Edward III, whose empty royal tomb is also in the Minster.
St William's body has moved many times over the centuries, now he rests here in the west crypt surrounded by candles, this site specially chosen as the crypts are mostly unchanged since he was alive. His new tomb is a recycled Roman sarcophagus with a modern lid, resting on a Roman mosaic floor.

Under the Minster

This is a close up view of one of the Norman pillars that originally supported the roof of York Minster crypt. The pillar is still in the crypt but the height of the roof has since been raised so it is no longer part of the structure. Richly carved on the outside these round pillars are hollow inside and filled with rubble. They looked to have some flecks of paint on them and may have been heavily coloured at some point. If you look closely at the second diagonal band from the left you can see the original stonemasons mark - a thin line with a diamond shape on the top.

Constantine the Great

The Roman Emperor Constantine the Great sits back, master of all he surveys, outside the south door of York Minster.  Constantine was thought to have been hailed as Emperor by his troops near this spot on the death of his father in AD 306.  

This modern statue was gifted to the city in 1998 by York Civic Trust. The sculptor was Philip Jackson and he carefully researched the clothing, seating and armour of the period. The Emperor sits looking down upon his broken sword, which forms the shape of a cross.
This is to symbolise the fact that Constantine made Christianity an acceptable religion of the Roman Empire.

Impressive Sandals

This forms part of a bronze statue that can be found outside the Minster. Any idea who these sturdy Roman legs might belong to? If you would like a clue he was proclaimed Roman Emperor in York, and was the first Emperor to become a Christian.

Minster in the Mist

Here is York Minster as seen from Precentors Court looking positively Dickensian in the mist. I shall be heading inside later today for the Christmas Eve Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at 4pm. Need to be there by 3.00pm or it will be standing room only.

Minster Advent Crown

I visited York Minster earlier this week and the advent crown is in place beneath the Crossing and Central Tower. To the left is the cathedral organ, and top right you can see some of the roof bosses of the South Transept.

York Minster Memorial Screen

This wooden memorial screen is in the North Transept of York Minster.  Each door bears the crest of a regiment and written inside are the names of the women who served in that regiment and were killed during the First World War. The doors can be opened by anyone who cares to look inside.

The screen also records that the Five Sisters window in York Minster was restored by women in memory of their fallen comrades. The window is now a memorial to the women who gave their lives in both World Wars.

Stone Festival Bench

In 2000 a group of 70 stone carvers came together to craft this bench which stands in Dean’s Park next to York Minster. It is octagonal in shape and is covered with a multitude of grotesque figures. In the background is all that remains of the original Archbishops Palace. It is now the home of the Minster Library and a War Memorial to the 2nd Division raised in Portugal at Albuera 18^th June 1809.

The bench is built around a sycamore tree, the crab apples are from a nearby tree.

Spoilt for Choice

This signpost outside the Minster offers a multitude of options for visitors to the city. Walking is still the best way to get around York but medieval streets (unlike Roman ones) rarely go in straight lines so help can be needed to get from A to B. I am often asked for directions, but never when carrying my camera as everyone assumes I am a tourist!