York Minster

York Minster, on Deangate in the centre of York, North Yorkshire, is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and the seat of the Archbishop of York. The present building was constructed between about 1230 and 1472, and sits on the site of earlier Saxon and Norman churches and a Roman fortress. Visitors step into a nave that is among the widest Gothic spaces in England, with a painted vault and the Great West Window nicknamed the Heart of Yorkshire. The Minster holds about half of the medieval stained glass in England, including the Great East Window, which is the size of a tennis court and was painted by John Thornton in the early 15th century. The Five Sisters Window in the north transept is a rare 13th-century grisaille design. The octagonal Chapter House, the Undercroft and Foundations area with Roman and Norman remains, and the Treasury can be visited with general admission. The central tower climb of 275 steps rewards visitors with views over York's medieval streets and the Vale of York, and must be booked separately for a timed slot. Visits to the main building take one to two hours, and the tower adds about 45 minutes. The best exterior photographs are from Dean's Park, which shows the east end, and from the end of Deangate looking toward the west towers. Crowds are heaviest on weekends and during school holidays, and the morning just after opening tends to be quieter. Daily choral Evensong is open to worshippers without charge, and the Minster is a working church, so some areas may close for services. York's city walls and the Shambles are a short walk away.