On this day: York Minster was Damaged by Fire
Tuesday, 20th May 2014 by Ian Brown
On May 20, 1840, an accidental fire damaged a large part of York Minster. Just one of a number of fires which have blighted the building over the centuries, this one in particular led the Church into serious debt and services were suspended for part of the 1850s.
About the author
Ian Brown lives in Ottawa, Canada, and spends his spare time perusing maps to find new routes to ride on his orange bicycle.
Of course, it was damaged again by fire as recently as 1984, started by lightning.
Some of the new roof bosses used in the restoration were designed by kids who won a competition on Blue Peter (that’s a children’s TV show, for the non-UK readers!)