Multi-million pound conservation project starts at York Minster

 An ambitious £5 million conservation project gets underway at York Minster today (25 May).

The five-year scheme will see 152 stained glass panels removed from the medieval St Cuthbert Window - which is nearly 600 years old and is one of the largest surviving narrative windows in the world.

This marks the first phase of the project and needs to be completed to allow the Minster's stonemasons to then carry out urgent repair work on eroded and decaying masonry.

The stained glass panels, which will be cleaned and repaired will then go on display inside the cathedral, as part of a new exhibition called Light Glass and Stone: Conserving the St Cuthbert Window which opens in June.

It will give visitors the rare opportunity to see at close range a selection of stained glass panels from the window.

Professor Sarah Brown, Director of York Glaziers Trust, explained: “The window dates from around 1440 and is a rare surviving example of a medieval narrative window, telling the story of St Cuthbert’s life on a monumental scale. “The essential repair of the stone of the South East Transept has created a once in a lifetime opportunity to conserve the window, which was last restored following the Second World War. “The team’s work will include intricate cleaning and repairs to the glass and the lead matrix before it is returned to the window with state-of-the-art protective glazing. This will replace external quarry glazing installed in the 1930s and provide a barrier between the medieval glass and the elements to ensure its survival for generations to come.” St Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon monk and bishop of Lindisfarne who lived between c.634 and 687 and was renowned for his good works and miracles, which made him for many centuries the most important saint in northern England.  A fundraising campaign for the conservation project is ongoing, and people can support the work by adopting a piece of the window’s stained glass. St Cuthbert Window Adoption Packs are available from the York Minster Shops inside the cathedral and at Minster Gates or online at shop.yorkminster.org.