IT is impossible to imagine York without its Minster. The soaring stone monument to man’s yearning for something higher is the beating heart and soul of the city.

It comes as a shock, therefore, to realise that 50 years ago, the great cathedral was near collapse.

Following a detailed two-year survey, a report by the Minster’s surveyor of the fabric, Bernard Feilden, revealed the foundations were failing, and that the Central Tower was sinking, twisting and cracking. Even a mild earth tremor could lead the tower to collapse, he warned - and without major repair the ‘probable life of the Central Tower structure is another 15 years.’ The crisis demonstrated just how revered this great medieval building is, however - here and around the world. The Minster authorities launched a £2 million appeal - a huge amount at the time. Within a year, it had already passed £500,000.

A massive, seven-year engineering project began, which involved digging a hole beneath the cathedral, pouring in a concrete foundation, and pinning it all together with steel rods. It proved to be an engineering masterpiece, according to Vicky Harrison, the Minster’s head of collections. The subsidence stopped: the Minster was saved.

There were other legacies, too: the undercroft, a ‘basement museum’ beneath the Minster itself. And The Minster Fund, which continues today to raise millions of pounds for vital maintenance work.

Prince Andrew visited the Minster yesterday to help celebrate the Fund’s 50th anniversary. His presence was yet another reminder of the international significance of this glorious building. How lucky we are still to have it.