The largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, the present York Minster was constructed in 1220. For hundreds of years before this, however, the site had been of religious and political significance, witnessing numerous battles between the English and the Vikings. Today, half of the surviving medieval stained glass in England is in the minster, with the Great East Window displaying over 100 Biblical scenes. The elaborate astronomical clock in the North Transept was designed and constructed at the Royal Greenwich Observatory to commemorate 18,000 airmen from Yorkshire and northeast England who lost their lives in World War II. A fire in the South Transept in 1984 led to a £2 million-pound restoration project, and the ceiling now features 62 new bosses decorated with natural and local scenes designed by schoolchildren. There are views of the winding cobbled streets of York and the surrounding Yorkshire countryside from the Central Tower.
Air: Manchester Airport, Leeds/Bradford International Airport, Newcastle Airport. Rail: Train: York Station. Road: Bus: Public services.

York Minster Visitors Department, St Williams College, 4-5 College Street, York YO1 7JF, UK
Tel: (01904) 557 216
Website: www.yorkminster.org

United Kingdom