York Minster
York Minster is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and one of the finest medieval buildings in Britain, a cathedral of extraordinary scale and architectural ambition that has dominated the city of York since the thirteenth century and continues to define the skyline and the identity of one of England's most historic cities. The minster contains the largest collection of medieval stained glass in England, including the Great East Window, the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world, and its combination of architectural grandeur, glass collections and nine centuries of continuous Christian worship makes it one of the supreme achievements of English ecclesiastical building.
The current minster was built in stages between approximately 1220 and 1472, the construction spanning over two centuries during which Gothic architecture evolved significantly from the Early English style of the south transept through the Decorated Gothic of the nave to the Perpendicular style of the great central tower. This long building history gives the minster an architectural variety within the Gothic tradition that is unusual among English cathedrals and provides a remarkable survey of medieval architectural development within a single building.
The Great East Window, completed by John Thornton of Coventry between 1405 and 1408, covers an area approximately the size of a tennis court and depicts the beginning and end of all things in 311 individual scenes from Genesis and the Book of Revelation, a programme of theological ambition of the highest order. The window is currently undergoing a major conservation programme, but sections of the glass are displayed in the Chapter House and the Undercroft museum while restoration work continues.
York itself, with its medieval city walls, the Shambles, the Castle Museum and the Railway Museum, provides one of the richest concentrations of heritage in any English city outside London.