THE first turf has been cut on development of York Minster’s £8.5million ‘centre of excellence’, which the cathedral’s bosses say will cement its place as a world leader in traditional craft skills.
The new centre will house the world-renowned York Minster stonemasons, and will also provide space for York Glaziers Trust, which restored the Great East Window - the thirteenth century stained glass masterpiece by John Thornton which covers much of the Minster’s east face.
The first turf was cut at an official ceremony to mark the start of work on the project at what will become the new centre of excellence’s ‘heritage quad’ yesterday.
Minster bosses say work on the centre – which received planning approval last year - is expected to be completed by next summer.
The project is part of the wider York Minster Precinct Neighbourhood Plan which aims to regenerate the entire 17-acre precinct around the minster.
The new centre of excellence – described as a ‘first-of-its-kind project’ - is being designed as a ‘world-class campus facility’ for research, education and training in the traditional craft skills required to preserve and maintain the Minster for future generations.
It will also establish the Minster as ‘an international example of best practice in managing complex heritage estates’, cathedral bosses says.
The centre will include two main elements:
The heritage quad
This will be a ‘new, simple garden structure’ behind 2 Minster Court below the city walls that will replace the stonemason’s workshop at 4 Deangate.
Stones from the Minster’s historic collection will be positioned so visitors along the city wall can engage with the process of conservation and restoration.
The building will provide new facilities for scaffolders and gardeners and accommodation for the Minster’s first and second-year apprentices.
The Works and Technology Hub
This will be housed on the site of the current stoneyard and will also incorporate extra space for York Glaziers Trust.
New lifting systems will be installed, including a rail system to collect stone from deliveries on Deangate.
There will be a new drawing office with modern IT and digital technology and refurbished support workshops for electricians, plumbers, joiner and heritage builders. A new entrance will enable visitors to enter and watch operations from a dedicated viewing platform.
The Dean of York the Very Revd Dominic Barrington, who took part in yesterday’s ceremony, said: “Start on site at the Centre of Excellence is a significant milestone in our journey to establish the precinct as a leading destination for preserving and maintaining heritage craft skills.
“It also marks an important moment of our Neighbourhood Plan, which is the biggest programme of planned works at York Minster and its precinct in 150 years. We’re incredibly excited to start watching the new sites and facilities become a reality over the next year.”
Andy Gatenby, Managing Director of Simpson, the specialist heritage contractor who will be building the new centre, added: “As a proud-York based construction company, delivering a project such as York Minster’s Centre of Excellence is a huge honour.
“We’re proud to be playing a role in maintaining York Minster and its precinct for future generations.”
The funding for the new centre is being co-ordinated by the York Minster Fund, which recently announced a campaign to raise an additional £4m to support the completion of the project.
Find out more about the project, or make a donation, here
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