THESE dramatic photographs capture the terrible scenes in York Minster after the devastating fire 30 years ago today.

Dick Raines, 69, was brought in by the Minster to try to record and draw the fallen timbers and to produce reconstruction drawings of the roof, and was given access to areas that remained closed to most photographers.

He sent these pictures to The Press yesterday, after we published recollections of the fire, which caused severe damage to the South Transept on July 9, 1984.

Mr Raines, who runs Dick Raines Design in Albemarle Road, said: “It was a devastating but very interesting event. It is the nightmare for any great church or Cathedral or great house, and although it always opens up opportunities for study and a restoration project, you wish it hadn’t happened.”

York Press:

Pictures of the aftermath of the York Minster fire of 1984 are all by Dick Raines, who was hired to record the damage caused by the blaze

York Press:
 

York Press:
Dick Raines