THE painstaking and intricate work involved in the restoration of York Minster’s Great East Window can soon be seen up close thanks to a futuristic addition to the historic building.

The Orb, a ten-metre wide metallic dome, has been installed directly below the East Window, and will be displaying some of the newly conserved medieval glass panels before they are placed back in position.

The window is currently undergoing a major restoration funded by a £10.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Canon Glyn Webster, the Acting Dean of York, said: “It is too easy for us to take for granted the amazing architecture and painting of the Great East Window.

“It is almost impossible to imagine the effect this astonishing wall of glass must have had when it was first unveiled to the medieval public.

“It is my hope that the superb restoration of the glass, undertaken by the York Glaziers Trust, will reveal anew the marvels of the window, designed and painted between 1405 and 1408 by John Thornton of Coventry.”

Visitors will walk inside The Orb to see displays of five newly-conserved panels taken from the Great East Window – four permanently on display and one which will change each month during the Orb’s three-year tenancy of the space. The installation opens to the public on Saturday, October 27.

Meanwhile, final preparations begin next week for the 2012 Illuminating York event, which this year will feature a spectacular show designed by comedian Vic Reeves.

An army of volunteers is set to turn Museum Gardens into a Wonderland to bring Reeves’ vision to life. Exactly what the Shooting Stars host has created will remain a secret until the opening night of Illuminating York on October 31.

The light shows will run every evening from 6.30pm to 10.30pm, up to November 3. Details at illuminatingyork.org.uk