Historical Builder › Cathedrals › York Minster
How Long Did It Take to Build York Minster?
Short answer: about 247 years, from 1225 to 1472.
It rises above the Roman fortress headquarters in York, where Constantine was proclaimed emperor in 306.
What the sources say about the building period
Norman minster 1080–1100; Gothic rebuilding from c. 1225 (transepts to 1255); chapter house early 1290s; nave begun 1291; re-consecrated 1472. York Minster Official source
Stone and crew in numbers
- Country and type
- England, cathedral
- Stone in the walls
- 75,000 to 120,000 m³ Estimate
- For comparison
- about 39 Olympic pools of stone, or 9,750 truckloads
- Average crew
- about 47 workers (model value: the crew that would need exactly this long, working without a break)
Volume basis: 160 m long, 68 m wide; nave 30 m high; central tower 72 m. Checked against measurements. Our estimates come from published dimensions and are shown as a range. The result is a simple model, not a measured fact.
Where the stone came from
Magnesian limestone from the Tadcaster area, west of York. The Minster records quarrying there since 1234. Stone for the Minster was loaded onto boats on the River Wharfe. York Minster: Centuries of expert craftsmanship, Tadcaster local history: The Wharfe Navigation Official source
Plan
Legend: tradition, not evidence
The Minster stands on the very spot where the soldiers of Eboracum proclaimed Constantine emperor.
What we know: Constantine was proclaimed emperor in York in 306, and the Minster lies above the Roman fortress headquarters. The plaque beside his statue only says "near this place", so the exact spot is not known.
History Hit: facts about York Minster, Patrick Comerford: the plaque Partly documented
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