Tuesday the 19th of September was our 5th travel day and this was our only full day in York. Our plan was to buy tickets and tour York Minster and then to attend Evensong at the Minster at 5:30. We decided it would be good to make some reservations for dinner, too.
But first…a hardy breakfast to start our day. The hotel reservations we made at The Judges Lodging included breakfast which was served in the Cellar.
For our nonstop activity breakfast included with our lodging served us well.
This day was a blustery day. We stood in line outside the main entrance to the cathedral just before it opened to buy our tickets. We found out that once purchased that ticket would be good for a year if you wanted to re-visit.
York’s cathedral church is one of the finest medieval buildings in Europe. The Minster is also known as St Peter’s, its full name being the ‘Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York’. In the past the church sat within its own walled precinct, known as the Liberty of St Peter.
This statue of Queen Elizabeth is a new addition in a niche at the front of York Minster. The full story and progress of the creation of the statue was on display inside the Cathedral.
King Charles III unveiled a new statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II on November 9th, 2022. It is installed in a niche on York Minster cathedral in York, England.
The work was planned five years ago and had originally been intended to celebrate the queen’s platinum jubilee. It was finished in August, a month before she died.
The majestic statue by Richard Bossons, 52, shows the queen in her robes of the Order of the Garter and has been installed above the West Front entrance of the 850-year-old building. It stands seven feet tall and weighs 1.1 tons.
We couldn’t get over the size of her hands.
The Rose Window.
The nave of York Minster is the widest in Europe, and one of the highest, and this impression of height is enhanced by the large expanse of stained glass which allows light into the interior of the structure. The nave was built from 1220, replacing an older structure, and is primarily Early English.
The Quire (Choir) of York Minster is a delight to the eye. The Quire Screen is one of the most intricately carved in all the UK, with depictions of famous churchmen set within niches facing the nave. Before passing through the Screen, look up, where the huge organ is poised above the screen. Recently refurbished, it boasts an astonishing 5,300 individual pipes.
The Quire was where we would enjoy Evensong. We sat in these seats.
The Five Sisters or the ‘The Jewish Window’
I found the following information here and there is a more comprehensive post about this window and other history.
The ‘Five Sisters’ window in the north transept of York Minster was reputedly paid for by a loan from the Jews of York. This five-light window is executed in abstract grisaille work The 13th century window is filled with grisaille glass – from the French for ‘greyness’ – or finely painted clear glass that is set into geometric designs with jewel-like points of coloured glass making the pattern.
It is said the creation of the window was funded in part by York’s Jewish community, notably the wealthy Aaron of York, leading to the windows being called ‘the Jewish window.’
At the entrance to the Chapter House…
The ribbed wooden roof is truly a masterpiece of medieval architecture, with colourfully painted panels and a profusion of gilded bosses . Unlike other chapter houses, such as that of Wells Cathedral, there is no central column to support the roof vaulting; the ceiling is “free-standing” if you will, seeming almost to hang in space.
One of the ‘Minster Guides’ told us of a little chapel that we could go into through a door she pointed out to us.
Off the south aisle of the choir in York Minster is an old wooden door. It leads down steps into the Zouche Chapel, a quiet place reserved for private prayer. The chapel itself is small and very peaceful. The windows in the chapel contain a number of fragments of stained glass that have been recovered from other parts of the Minster.
I found these details in the chapel interesting. The cathedral was named St. Peters.
Josh and Laura climbed to the roof of the Cathedral and were belted by winds but enjoyed these amazing views of York and the Minster.
We also made it down the stairs to the Crypt.
This photo of the Peacemaker is for you, Laura. There is so much to the history in and outside of this amazing cathedral. It would take many visits to take it all in. A good history and description of many of the details can be found here.
We decided to try The Hole in the Wall for lunch and were happy to be able to get a nice table to dine at.
We had some time before Evensong at 5:30 so we bought tickets for the Hop on Hop off bus and enjoyed a tour of York from the top of the bus. We had to move inside when we got some rain.
For Evensong we entered the ‘minster’ at these doors. After Evensong we strolled over to the The Fat Badger for our dinner reservations,
Another full day of sightseeing. The bells of the cathedral were ringing after dinner so Josh and Laura enjoyed an evening walk taking in the beautiful sounds coming from the bell tower. They could even see the bell ringers in the tower. Greg and I opted to go back to our lodgings and put our feet up.
I just found this paragraph about the bell ringing on a post by Rick Steves. How serendipitous for Laura and Josh’s enjoyment on Tuesday evening. Another smile from our God.
If you’re a fan of church bells, you can experience ding-dong ecstasy Sunday morning at about 10:00 and during the Tuesday practice session between 19:00 and 22:00. (7pm-10pm) These performances are especially impressive, as the church holds a full carillon of 35 bells (it’s the only English cathedral to have such a range). How big of a deal are the bells? When the church let go of its bell-ringing staff after some internal disagreements in 2016, it was national news.
This was a long post and trust me it could have been even longer with more photos!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 