Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

Conducted tour round York Minster Precinct

Monday, 11 August 2025 at 2pm

Cost: £8 per person

Alex McCallion, Director of Works and Precinct at York Minster has agreed to conduct a further tour around the Minster Precinct on 11 August 2025 at 2pm. This will showcase the changes envisioned in the 15-year Neighbourhood Plan for the Minster and its environment, together with progress already made, from the Centre of Excellence at the east end to the new civic space known as Queen Elizabeth Square at the west end. A key objective of the plan is sustainability and Alex will demonstrate how this will be achieved by ground source heat pumps, solar panels and solar tiles.  The tour will start at the West End of the Minster where we should gather by 1.55pm.

To join the tour, please complete and return the form here York MInster Precinct Tour and send your payment of £8.00 per person.

Note that YPS Activities booking terms and conditions will apply and can be seen at the Lodge or online.

Member’s report:

Once again, Alex McCallion conducted YPS members skilfully through the 7 hectare York Minster Precinct. This is a complicated site with 53 properties, 52 of which are listed and all subject to a detailed Neighbourhood Plan much of which follows international planning regulations. Leaving behind the statue of Queen Elizabeth II which will dominate the proposed Queen Elizabeth Square, our first stop was Dean Park and the Old Palace (York Minster Library). The modern extension, poorly conceived and now sinking, will be replaced by a new building linking the library to the city walls, with work scheduled to start early next year. In the park itself the large underground tank is to be drained and, in the space, bore holes will be drilled and batteries stored to provide electricity for the Minster.

Moving on to the Heritage Quad we were able to see the flowing roof lines of the new Centre of Excellence designed by Tonkin Liu, housing the stonemasons and providing accommodation for four apprentice masons and with a net zero footprint. Planning permission for this area was tricky and only resolved by the intervention of the Secretary of State. This is clearly a bold and innovative development and, according to Alex, globally unique. From there to St William’s College, sadly not in use for several years, which is to be redeveloped, with the ground levelled off and the interior made fit for purpose, though in the light of the new Refectory there will be no replacement café. Outside, work has finished in the park providing leisure space with access to nearby cafés, paid for by the Friends of York Minster.

The former stonemasons’ yard has now been transformed into the Technology Hub where state of the art saws have been installed allowing for roughing out of the stone before being transported to the Heritage Quad for finishing off by hand in the traditional manner. Plans are in hand for using this equipment on behalf of other, as yet unnamed, cathedrals in the country. Remarkably , everywhere was pristine, with no dust. Rainwater is used, recycle and filtered

Our final stop was at the Refectory from where we could observe the solar slates on the roof of the building and the solar tiles on the south quire aisle of the Minster all providing electricity for the Precinct in support of its guiding principle of sustainability. A new seating area has been carved out beside the Refectory with new planting and a welcome shady area on what seemed to be one of the hottest days of the year. Our thanks to Alex for such an informative and enthusiastic tour.

Dorothy Nott