Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland
Day Six: Phew!, I Forgot My Tux, Hitting the “Pavement,” Medieval Merchants, I Hope She’s Not Here, Not Even Close To Sunset Dinner and Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Meeting Mary at breakfast, I thought I heard her blurt out, “Last night I left my purse in the Forest.” Thinking she was kidding, I replied, “Hopefully Robin Hood will find it.” She then told me that Forest is where they dined the previous evening. Our lodging called the restaurant and, sure enough, Mary’s purse was there, credit cards, passports and all. They went to pick it up.
We met back up at the entrance to the York Minster, where we had 9:45 timed tickets.
Once inside, we were informed of an hourlong free tour, so we decided we’d take it, because (1) York Minster is massive (the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe) and (2) it was free. It’s called a Minster instead of a cathedral because that was the term used back in the Anglo-Saxon days, although its official name is The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St. Peter in York. The interior of the Minster was not set up for services on this day, but instead a multitude of round tables filled the nave.
We were told that the tables were being set-up for a black tie fundraiser that evening. Price for a table was $2,500, and when we heard that news, Mary tried to lose her purse again in case she was invited.
Arthur Purey has a colorful memorial. Purey was an author who catalogued the Minster’s heritage during his 36 years as the Dean of York. I guess “v” was a “u” back then.
The Stone Pulpitum (otherwise known as the Choir Screen) is “the most elaborate surviving example in any English cathedral.”
The Pulpitium forms the west entrance to the choir. It dates from the 15th century, and the Gallery of the Kings includes 15 statues from William The Conqueror (the guy on the left In the photo on the right) to Henry VI (the only non-medieval king).
There are roughly 5,400 pipes in The Grand Organ, one of the largest in all the United Kingdom. It underwent a £2 million refurbishment in 2018 and opened back up in 2021. Some of the pipes date back to the 1830s when it was installed.
Stepping through the Stone Pulpitum, we were in the choir. That’s the famed Great East Window in the background.
The Choir Master’s Lectern is distinctive, and you didn’t need an Eagle eye to find it.
There’s no shortage of places to take photos.
Our docent told us that the choir stalls needed to be replaced in 1829 when a “deranged man” set them and the organ on fire.
Throughout the tour Tracy and Kim once again risked serious neck injuries photographing the intricate ceiling designs like these from Tracy of the vaulted ceiling of the Central Tower.
Since I am now completely out of order, here are three more. The wooden roof had to be replaced in 1840 after a fire started by a candle left by a clock repairman. I don’t know it’s one of these ceilings, but after the fire, our guide told us that the roof was completely replicated with the only modification being the wooden medallions of the Virgin Mary feeding baby Jesus. It was changed to show Mary feeding Jesus with a bottle instead of breast feeding. How Victorian!
Fortunately, someone on the internet found it.
The Chapter House has been here since 1260, and it was all that it was advertised. Wow!
This circular space is where the day-to-day business of the church was run.
The ribbed ceiling is something to behold, with no central support for the roof. Our docent said more than 250 faces are carved into the stonework in this room.Coincidentally, the Minster took 250 years to be completed from 1220 to 1471. As the docent pointed out to put that in context, about as long as American independence (yes, our group was mostly comprised of Americans). Our docent said this one depicts a rat protecting the head of King Edward so it could be reunited with his body. Seems no body could keep their heads during that time.
I had to stop Tracy before she was permanently looking upward.
Showing her versatility, she could look down, too. Also of interest is the Minton tile floor.
The York Minster, according to our guide, contains over half the medieval windows in all of England. There are 128 of them, with 80 having been removed during World War II for safe keeping. Also according to our guide, in the 1980s, the 1515 Rose Window was struck by lightning and restored after cracking into 40,000 pieces (it originally had 7,000 pieces). Neither of my crack photographers were able to get a great shot of it (which paned me), so the below photo is from my friends at Wikipedia.
The Five Sisters Window goes all the way back to 1260. It contains 100,000 pieces.
The Jesse Tree Window dates back to 1310, and was restored in 1950. The window even tells you that.
The Great West window of York Minster was glazed in 1338. It contains the images of bishops and saints, and the “tracery flowers” (not Tracy flowers) into the shape of a heart; a fine example of the Gothic flamboyant style.
In the Lady Chapel you find the most famous of the stained glass windows, Great East Window, dubbed “The Sistine Chapel of Stained Glass.” It was completed in the early 1400s by John Thornton, who was paid £46 for his efforts plus a £10 bonus on completion. It’s the largest medieval stained glass window in Europe, at 79-feet tall incorporating 311 panes. The restoration project in 2015 cost £10.5 million. Also from the 1400s is the equally impressive St. Cuthbert’s Window. St. Cuthbert’s is on the right.
Statues abound. A monument to Sir Henry Belasyse is on the left while Thomas Watson-Wentworth is memorialized in photo on the right. His wife or girlfriend seems to be a tad bored with it all.
You could take hundreds of photos just of plaques and statues at York Minster.
