Meet York Minster’s Masons, Carvers and Carpenters at the Stoneyard Open Day

York Minster’s famous Stoneyard is getting ready to welcome visitors to its annual Open Day on Friday 12 September 2014. The Stoneyard is part of the Minster’s Works Department – the dedicated team responsible for the maintenance, repair, conservation and restoration of the fabric and grounds of York Minster. York Minster is one of only a small number of English cathedrals with an in-house works department. Currently around 50 strong, the department is committed to training future generations of craftspeople and has a thriving apprenticeship scheme with five apprentices currently working at the Minster. Visitors to the Open Day will enjoy access to areas normally off-limit to the general public, learn about the challenges of maintaining one of the world’s greatest cathedrals and see demonstrations of some of the specialist craft and trade skills that keep the building in good repair. Starting at 9.30am and continuing through until 3.00pm visitors will be able to:

• Meet the team who repair, restore and protect the ancient building;
• Join a free guided tour for access to special areas including the Drawing Office and our plaster cast museum; and
• Buy a ticket for a special tour of the Masons’ Lodge and the East Front lift for a once-in-a–lifetime close-up view of the restoration work on the Great East Window.

Admission to the Stoneyard Open Day is free but donations for the future conservation of York Minster would be very welcome.  Tickets for the special tour of the Masons’ Lodge and the East Front lift cost £7.50 per person and are available in advance from the Minster box office or online at www.boxoffice.yorkminster.org. The Stoneyard Open Day takes place on Friday 12 September at the Stoneyard, 4 Deangate York from 9.30am – 3.00pm.  For further details, please visit www.yorkminster.org.