NEWS

York Minster: A Living Legacy launched

10 November 2008

York Minster: A Living Legacy is a beautifully illustrated portrait of the Minster community, its day-to-day life, the people who make the Minster work and the skills of the craft workshops that maintain its fabric for future generations.

“York Minster is a prodigy of a place. But while the splendours of the architecture, glass and treasures of the Minster are often recorded, in this book we want to complement those dazzling images with a record of the people of the institution. In describing something of the present life of the Minster we are illuminating what is usually hidden from view or overlooked as too mundane to notice,” The Very Rev. Keith Jones, Dean of York, comments in his introduction.

Including much new photography, the book offers a fresh look at this wonderful building in all the richness of its 1500 year old history, in the grandeur and quirkiness of its fabric and, most importantly, in the people who have shaped it and continue to shape it today.

Much more than a history, the book explores the rich and complex relationship between the cathedral and the communities it serves. For the city of York, the Minster is a cultural icon whose twin towers represent York and Yorkshire, and whose magnificent interior hosts concerts and recitals along with daily services the year round. Former Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, has been quoted as saying: “York Minster is one of the most glorious Gothic buildings in the world. It is unique and special and has enormous importance for all of us.”

Roy Pawsey, a member of the Minster Police Force, remembers very fondly the occasion when he observed on camera late one night a young man looking up and down the road to see if the coast was clear, before going down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend by the South door. “If only I had known how to contact them, they could have had a video of the whole event, said Pawsey.”

York Minster: A Living Legacy reveals a great deal about those who have inspired, funded and organised the Minster, and have sustained its life through the centuries. The book also gives us a better understanding and appreciation, not only of the Minster itself, but also of the history of York in which this great institution has played such an important part.

Copies of York Minster: A Living Legacy are available direct from Third Millennium Publishing - click here for details - or can be ordered through the Minster Shop and other booksellers.

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS

Imprint: Third Millennium Publishing, London

Authors: The Dean of York, Dr Richard Shephard and Louise Hampson

Publication date: 13 November 2008 / RRP: £35 / ISBN: 978 1 903942 75 8

Specification: Hardback, 176 pages, 270 x 230 mm, over 225 images in colour and b/w

Third Millennium Information Group: Specialises in specialises in publishing and design for the art, heritage and military markets and is currently working on a number of book projects with leading schools, Oxbridge colleges, universities, cathedrals, regiments, and museums and galleries in the UK and USA. Published and forthcoming titles include Durham Cathedral: Light of the North, Kingdom, Power and Glory: A Historical Guide to Westminster Abbey, Cambridge University: an 800th Anniversary Portrait, The Durham Difference: The Story of Durham University, Newcastle University: Past, Present and Future, St Peter’s School, York: Over Ancient Ways, Wellington College: The First 150 Years, Rugby School: ‘With a fine disregard’, Excellence in Action: A Portrait of the Guards and Sandhurst: A Tradition of Leadership.

For further information contact Michael D Jackson, Marketing Manager, Third Millennium Information Ltd, 2-5 Benjamin St, EC1M 5QL. Tel: +44 (0)207 336 0144. Email: mj@tmiltd.com. Website: www.tmiltd.com