• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

  • News
  • Things to do
  • Radio
  • Community
  • More
    • Food & drink
    • Business
  • About
    • Comments
    • Advertise
    • Contact us
  • Radio
  • WIN
  • Vouchers
  • Listen live »
City of York Council voter ID campaign

A gallery, museum, café and conference space – York Minster reveals ideas for park and buildings

Sat 26 May 2018 @ 12:48pm - Environment, History
YorkMix

The York Minster precinct as outlined in their masterplan

A gallery, museum, café and a welcome centre – just some of the big ideas for transforming the space surrounding York Minster.

The Minster authorities revealed earlier in the week that they had drawn up a masterplan for the precinct – the buildings and land they own that surrounds the cathedral.

York Cycle Campaign
York Cycle Campaign #Ad

Now they have revealed more details of their plans. Everything, they stress, is up for discussion. But here are their main proposals.

And you can have your say on the York Minster website here.

Duncombe Place and College Green

College Green. Photograph: YorkMix
Improvements to Duncombe Place and College Green could create more useable, high quality public spaces, with a similar character to the south transept piazza. The emphasis would be on creating space for people not cars.

A welcome centre and ticket office could be located outside the Minster where it would have more space to provide visitor information, help with orientation and take queues away from the west front.

There is also interest in creating a new public exit, reusing an old door on the northern side of the Minster. This would give direct access to Dean’s Park.

Dean’s Park

‘Great potential’ – Dean’s Park. Photograph: YorkMix
The plans state: “Dean’s Park is already a well-loved green space, but could offer so much more to visitors of the Minster and the local community, becoming a destination in its own right.”

The Minster owns land right up to the city walls, and says: “We are investigating ways to create direct access onto the walls from the Park, so that visitors can more easily experience the fantastic views of the Minster.

“The Old Palace houses the Minster’s library and archives and is a historic gem. There could be greater public use of this building as part of the Dean’s Park plans.”

Ideas under consideration include:

  • a formal garden
  • a children’s play and learning area
  • a café and toilets
  • an exhibition gallery
  • a new museum space
  • a learning centre
  • an events space.

School and Stoneyard

York Minster’s Stoneyard
“The Minster School’s site is cut in half by Deangate which is no longer needed for vehicle traffic but is a popular cycling route,” says the masterplan.

“We are exploring opportunities to reorganise access and redefine the school’s boundary together with the Stoneyard to create a more cohesive site.

“We are exploring opportunities for new facilities here, such as a school hall with dual community use.”

St William’s College

St William’s College in 2014. Photograph: Duncan Lomax / Ravage Productions
The Minster says there may be an opportunity to introduce a small number of new affordable homes for cathedral staff in precinct buildings.

St William’s College was built as a home for medieval priests but has been empty for many years. It is currently undergoing significant restoration works and has potential to house a range of new uses:

  • office space for the Minster and Minster Police
  • a high quality conference and events space
  • and a restaurant spilling out onto College Green.

Church House and Chapter House Yard

Church House on Ogleforth. Photograph © Google Street View
By moving the Minster’s offices out of Church House, that building could become a valuable residential development, generating income to support the Minster’s restoration work.

Chapter House Yard has potential to provide additional space for Minster back-of-house functions. The unsightly car park could be redesigned and screened.

Related YorkMix stories

An open air cinema and tipi bar will pop-up next to York Minster in new summer festival

More attractive public spaces and a dedicated café – York Minster to unveil ‘masterplan’

This breathtaking drone video reveals fully restored York Minster East Window in all its glory

Sat 26 May, 2018

Footer

YorkMix
News 01904 848 766
Email YorkMix news »
5-6 King's Court, Shambles, York  YO1 7LD
YorkMix Radio
General enquiries 01904 375 029
Studio/competitions 01904 375 030
Email YorkMix Radio »
Selby Superbowl, Bawtry Road, Selby  YO8 8NA
YorkMix is a trading name of YorkMix Media Ltd
Registered in England
Company number: 07814727
VAT number: 154 0364 34
© York Sound Ltd

Copyright © 2023 YorkMix Media Ltd

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT