Face to face with horrible history

The 3ft high faces that adorn the towers of the Minster, carved in rock and calling out warnings from the bible, could have been lost forever, but for the skills of a new generation of craftspeople.

Today, four new grotesques, recreated from the eroded originals, were hauled into place at the conclusion of the first phase of a decade-long project that will eventually see up to 40 figures replaced.

Hacked out of magnesium limestone from a quarry near Tadcaster, they will stay there for at least the next 100 years.

“For a first effort, I think mine is quite good,” said Victoria Darley, the architect of one of the four, a representation of King Solomon.

A former apprentice at the Minster, this is her first figure and she was, she said, aware that it would remain in place long enough for her grandchildren to see it. Each of the four grotesques has taken up to 200 hours to carve, and the entire process, from removal to replacement, has taken more than a year.

The old weather­beaten faces were so badly worn that no-one could be certain of their provenance.

“We could just about tell whether each one had been a human figure or a beast,” said Ms Darley, who joined the Minster’s stoneyard team seven years ago.

Based on what little they could see, the Minster decided that the new grotesques would illustrate the Judgement of Solomon, in which the king rules that a baby be cut in half to determine its parentage. One of the two women claiming to be its mother begs for it be given to the other woman to save its life, thereby revealing herself to be the true parent.

The three other carvings are of the two women – one carrying the baby - and a dragon holding a goose between its teeth.

Neil Sanderson, director of the York Minster Fund, who is overseeing the South Quire project, said: “There is some historical research, but it’s always one of the joys of a cathedral that stonemasons ultimately have the choice of how they interpret their theme.

“That’s why, when you go around the Minster, inside you’ll see some quite cheeky carvings made over the centuries by different masons.”

Stonemason Richard Bossons noted that the three humans depicted in the new carvings wore clothes in keeping with the age of the South Quire.

“We try to put back carvings which are done in a historically accurate style but obviously with a modern twist because they are done by modern carvers,” he said.

“Historically, grotesques would also have often had a humorous or satirical bent to them. They need to be seen from a distance so often have exaggerated facial features – for example the baby in this story has an exaggerated screaming face.”

Legend has it that grotesques and gargoyles were originally used on sacred buildings to ward off evil spirits.

Work on the South Quire Aisle, which dates from the 14th century, began early last year and will involve an £11m investment to repair and replace stone and glass in 15 window bays. Some of the stones used in the current stage of the restoration weighed more than half a tonne when they arrived from the quarry.