York Guides

Cathedral plans to celebrate commissioning of Great East Window as £30m restoration funds drive goes on

Paul Jeeves (Yorkshire Post)
SIX hundred years ago a piece of parchment was signed that opened the way for work to begin on the world's largest expanse of stained glass.

Now, half a dozen centuries down the line, the Great East Window of York Minster faces an uncertain future as the cathedral continues its monumental £30m fundraising campaign to help pay for vital restoration works.
The historic anniversary of the commissioning of the contract for the East Window will be marked on December 10, a reminder that the Minster's long heritage could be lost forever unless the multi-million- pound target is reached.
The Yorkshire Post has given its backing to the campaign, which has raised in excess of £500,000 since it was launched in March.
Dame Judi Dench and the Duke of York are among the famous names who have also given their support to the mammoth task of raising the £30m.
The towering expanse of medieval glass on the East Front, dubbed the "Sistine Chapel of stained glass" by the Dean of York, Keith Jones, is under threat as the ancient stonework surrounding it has begun to bow with the passing of time.
The collections manager at York Minster, Louise Hampson, said: "The East Window is the heart and soul of the Minster. It really is the culmination of all the cathedral is about.
"It draws people in and gives them a blow by blow account of the Apocalypse, which is portrayed on the stained glass. It is amazing to think that it is still fascinating people after all these years, but there is a very real threat that it could be lost forever."
Craftsman John Thornton, regarded as the finest glass painter of his time, signed the contract on December 10, 1405, to create the East Window, after he had been commissioned by Bishop Skirlaw, a Bishop of Durham who had close links with the Minster.
It was a gamble on Thornton's behalf, as he was faced with no payment for his efforts if the Dean and Chapter of the Minster were not happy with the work.
But he received £56, including £30 in bonuses throughout the three years it took to complete. It will now cost £6m to restore the window, which is the size of a tennis court.
Another £15m from the £30m target will be used to repair stonework on the East Front, while the remainder of the money will be used to help fund the Minster choir and library.
While the East Front was stabilised in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when underpinning work was carried out, the window now leans out by 16-and-a-half inches.
Ten panes have already been removed as test panels before the rest of the East Window is taken down for restoration work.
Glaziers will perform the surgical process of removing excess leadwork to lighten the panels before the glass is cleaned and restored.
A tailor-made plastic mesh will cover the East Front to ward off the elements from the inside of the cathedral before the thousands of individual panes of glass are put back in place.
Plans are currently being drawn up to mark the 600th anniversary of the commissioning of the East Window at the end of the year. An exhibition dedicated to Thornton is expected to be displayed at the East End of the cathedral, including a copy of the contract he signed before starting work.
The original parchment has been lost during the intervening centuries, although two contemporary copies of the contract still exist and are stored at the British Library and in Durham.
A service is also expected to be held in the Minster to mark the 600th anniversary.
Mrs Hampson said: "It is a really poignant date for us. The East Window is one of the few items in the Minster where we have such a personal account of how it came into being.
"We know who was contracted to create it, how long it took and how much it cost to make.
But we are now in a position that unless we can do something dramatic, then all this history will be lost."