Open day to offer insight into Minster

IN its 900 years as an East Yorkshire market town’s place of worship, it has welcomed countless visitors, from medieval pilgrims to modern-day tourists.

But Beverley Minster needs the near-constant attention of a maintenance team to preserve its precious stone fabric so that it can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.

That work continues today, with master craftsmen responsible for the careful and extensive restoration of both the building’s limestone masonry and its stained glass windows.

To celebrate their achievements to date, a close-up look at the work will be offered as part of both the Hull and Beverley civic societies heritage open days on September 8, between 10.30am and 4pm.

Simon Delaney, building surveyor to the Beverley Minster Old Fund, said: “Since I started the role here in January, the specialist team have been working on the stone spending in total over 40 weeks carving just two pinnacles, which then take about ten days to install.

“The detail on the stone is stunning. I was recently shown the beaver playing his bagpipes who can be seen on the pinnacle of the Tympanum roof that was completed in 2014, which is a good example of this.”

The pinnacles are transferred to and from the roof using a giant wheel that is operated manually to lower and raise heavy stone pieces through a hole in the roof space.