York Minster

York Minster began construction in the 600s. You’ll be curious to know, it has another name! The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York. And the completion of construction was in 1472. This awe-inspiring building will take your breath away, and the inside is just as majestic as the outside.  As you would expect with any church of such magnitude, its grounds buries figures of history.

York Minster is home to the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. And since its construction, the minster has suffered fires, being taken over, destruction, and being rebuilt. Its history is long and fascinating. In 1984, there was a huge fire, back then firefighters made the decision to collapse the south transept roof to save the rest of the minster.

Learn about how a competition by Blue Peter gave children the chance to be part of the regeneration which then took place.

Durham-based Harrison and Harrison removed the the minsters organ (which is over 180 years old)  for refurbishment and repair. It returned to the cathedral in 2020 after the fully repair.

Livestreaming to the Eucharist and Evensong services can be found here.  Explore ways to worship here

Please note the opening times below are for general visiting, and for worship, these differ and the minster is open longer, please check out for more details.

We also have information on Durham Cathedral, located 1 hour and 45 minutes north of York Minster. This Cathedral is a place of worship of historic significance and a world heritage site. Click here for more information.