York Minster By Jonathan J. Platinum Quality Author

As one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe, York Minster is also one of the oldest, the first church on the site being constructed of wood around 627 AD, its purpose being to provide a place of baptism for the Anglo Saxon King Edwin of Northumbria. Edwin later set out to have the church rebuilt in stone, but he was killed during a battle in 633 and the completion of the stone church was left to his successor Oswald. Oswald saw the completion of the new building on the site around 630 AD with the church being dedicated to Saint Peter.

The stone church survived through the Viking age but was badly damaged by fire in 1069 when the invading Normans took control of the city. This year also saw the death of Ealdred, who is now buried in the minster. The Danish invaders destroyed much of what was left of the church in 1075, but it was rebuilt again around 1080, in the Norman style. The Gothic style of cathedrals arrived around the 12th century and Walter de Gray, the archbishop in 1215, ordered the re-construction of the church in the new Gothic style drawing comparisons with the then Canterbury cathedral. The north and south transepts were rebuilt first, followed by an impressive central tower topped with a wooden spire. Walter de Gray died before this was completed. In 1407 the central tower of the minster collapsed and the work to replace it took around 25 years. Between 1433 and 1472 the Western towers were added and the Minster that we see today was finally completed and had taken roughly 250 years to build.

The period of the English Reformation introduced the first Anglican archbishop and also saw the church loose ownership of much of its land. Under the protestant queen Elizabeth I, there was a great effort to remove traces of the Roman Catholic church from the cathedral, and this period saw a great deal of looting of much of the cathedral's treasures, as well as destruction of altars, tombs, and windows. The English Civil War saw the city of York besieged by the forces of Oliver Cromwell in 1644, but Thomas Fairfax managed to limit further damage to the cathedral.

Around the 1730's the whole floor of the Minster was replaced with patterned marble, and from 1800 onwards there was a major scheme of restoration. In 1829 an arson attack by an insane Jonathan Martin inflicted heavy damage on the east transcept, and left the nave, south west tower, and south aisle roofless and blackened. It was after this event that the Minster police began to take a more active role in the protection of the building. The Minster constables were already in existence before the fire of 1829 but the act was to be a turning point in the care of the building. At a meeting in 1829, the Dean decreed that 'Henceforward a watchman/constable shall be employed to keep watch every night in and about the cathedral'. The new watchman could have been Thomas Marshall since we know from church records that he was employed by the Dean and Chapter until 1854 on a wage of fourty one pounds and twelve shillings per year.

The 20th century has seen a significant amount of preservation work. A structural survey undertaken in 1967 revealed that the central tower was close to collapse and two million pounds was raised was spent to reinforce and strengthen the building foundations and roof. A fire in 1984 destroyed the roof in the south transept, and roughly £2.5 million was spent on repairs. In 2007 renovation began on the eastern front of the building, including the Great East Window, at a staggering cost of £23 million.

The Minster is a continual restoration project. The latest project titled "York Minster Revealed" is a five-year project with a £10m Heritage Fund grant which is primarily aimed at training craftsmen and women in the specialist skills of stone-masonry and stained glass conservation - skills which are pivotal to the continual work on this magnificent gothic building.

You can find more information about the Historical buildings of York, England at the York Hotels Guide where Jonathan writes

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