York Minster
The Society has been consulted about two further important repairs suggested for York Minster. The first were the proposed repairs to the South Porch, which the Cathedrals Fabric Commission, at our request, called-in for determination. The Society’s Guardians had very great
concerns about the extent of stone replacements specified, and, most particularly, to the original (circa 1225) voussoirs of the innermost order of the arch head to the doorway – four on the west side and two on the east. While the Minster’s Surveyor sought to
provide technical reasons for the continuing decay of the voussoirs, which he attributes to thermal changes, the case for their replacement was made largely on visual and aesthetic grounds because they cause a “very adverse aesthetic appearance” and, more specifically, the Dean and Chapter’s wish “to respect the original design” – perhaps the most common of all arguments for Restoration. The Guardians considered that the proposed
replacement of the stones would be very invasive and to be work sought purely to reinstate a decorative element. Pre-1871 photographs appear to show most of the foliate work of the voussoirs intact – and with what looks like a small head at the springing point – and as such it is possible to infer that the damage might not be long established. The Society advised that the original, early
13th-century voussoirs should not be replaced and that, if needed in the future, they should be conserved by mortar repair and shelter coating. The porch is easy to access, and we supported the recommendation of English Heritage that the porch should be analysed for surviving painted decoration. We do not share the views of the Minster
Surveyor and the Dean and Chapter about the visual and aesthetic appearance of the voussoirs. We believe their weathered and aged state is part of the building’s character and history, and worthy of respect. Our view is shared by English Heritage. We urged the Commission not to approve
this application, which would result in the loss of original fabric that has survived nearly 900 years and the major restorations of the South Transept by William Shout (1789-1794), GE Street (1871-1880) and the work of 1984 following the destruction of the roof by fire. Our advice and formal opposition was
rejected by the Commission and, yet again at York Minster, stonework that has survived many hundreds of years will be, in our view, needlessly replaced, just as the carving was around the GreatWest Door some 15 years ago. Were this a secular case we could have
sought its call-in by the Secretary of State. The Society took a different view about the
sculpted figure at the apex of the Great East Window. The Minster had organised a
Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 3 2011 23
KIPPA MATTHEWS
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