SUNDAY IN YORK
Masonic Jewels Tour - UK Day 3 - A day in York
Our first stop was a visit to York Minster for a morning church service, a sung Eucharist. It gave us a chance to see the
magnificent outside, and quire in the east inside of the Minster.
Tour to be continued in next update
There is no doubt that this is the number one attraction, among the myriad of others that York has to offer. It dwarfs the houses that surround it in the old city centre.
The service was held in the nave, and shortly after being led to our seats, we were approached by the verger to ask if two of our members would like to officiate at the offertory. Two of our brethren had the chance of a lifetime and did so.
The staff members of the Minster had seen our Masonic Jewels badges - York having a totally different perspective to Freemasonry to the present Archbishop of Canterbury.
The staff members of the Minster had seen our Masonic Jewels badges - York having a totally different perspective to Freemasonry to the present Archbishop of Canterbury.
The following visit was to the Jorvick Centre and required us to walk through the narrow streets of York. Here we entered and were taken along underground passage ways in these hanging gondalas, around the streets of the reclaimed Vicking town of Jorvick, past various displays of Vicking life. Jorvick is an exhibition of actors, craftsmen and inanimate displays of life portrayed in the actual place itself.
The staff members of the Minster had seen our Masonic Jewels badges - York having a totally different perspective to Freemasonry to the present Archbishop of Canterbury.
One of the many reasons for this is the donation of £440,000 to York Minster by the Freemasons of North and East Ridings for the repair and refurbishment of the massive St. William Window in the North Aisle of the Minster. The Window was the gift of the De Ros family of Helmsley Castle in 1421. It comprises some 95 panels and is a towering masterpiece, which commemorates the life and miracles of St William, a 12th century Archbishop of York. The detailing of the stained glass is outstanding as the above photograph shows of a panel depicting a lady with smallpox.
One of the many reasons for this is the donation of £440,000 to York Minster by the Freemasons of North and East Ridings for the repair and refurbishment of the massive St. William Window in the North Aisle of the Minster. The Window was the gift of the De Ros family of Helmsley Castle in 1421. It comprises some 95 panels and is a towering masterpiece, which commemorates the life and miracles of St William, a 12th century Archbishop of York. The detailing of the stained glass is outstanding as the above photograph shows of a panel depicting a lady with smallpox.
Food For Thought
Photographs of the displays cannot do justice to Jorvick, as sight is only one sense, but sound and smell provide a realism not often acheived in replica displays. This was heightened as the exhibit was at the ground level of those ancient times some 3 metres below today's street level.
After our visit to Jorvik the tour party broke up to go their own ways to the exhibitions and museums that met their fancy.
After our visit to Jorvik the tour party broke up to go their own ways to the exhibitions and museums that met their fancy.
A number of us chose the National Railway Museum which was housed in the old victorian railway station and the adjoing series of sheds were trains and memorabilia of the railways - among the photographs here are a replica of George Stephenson's Rocket, a colliery engine, London South Western Engine no. 245, an older North Eastern line steam engine, and a Victorian royal locomotive, and even Queen Victoria's toilet from her royal train.
York Minster is the cathedral of York, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York. It is run by a dean and chapter, under the Dean of York.
The formal title of York Minster is "The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York". The title "minster" is attributed to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period as missionary teaching churches, and serves now as an honorific title. Services in the minster are sometimes regarded as on the High Church or Anglo-Catholic end of the Anglican continuum.
The formal title of York Minster is "The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York". The title "minster" is attributed to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period as missionary teaching churches, and serves now as an honorific title. Services in the minster are sometimes regarded as on the High Church or Anglo-Catholic end of the Anglican continuum.
