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

This is the East Window of York Minster as you’ve never seen it.

Fully and painstakingly restored to its glorious best, it was filmed by a drone to show off all 311 stained glass panels in stunning detail.

The formal conclusion of a decade-long project to conserve and restore the window – Britain’s largest expanse of medieval stained glass – was being celebrated at a special Choral Evensong in the cathedral on Thursday night (May 17).

All the panels were removed from the window in 2008 by York Glaziers Trust, and over the last ten years conservators have spent around 92,400 hours meticulously conserving each piece.

The work has been part of an £11.5m programme which has included extensive work by the Minster’s stonemasons to repair and replace hundreds of stones at the cathedral’s East End, which houses the window.

The Dean of York, The Very Reverend Vivienne Faull, said:

The Great East Window is one of the most magnificent pieces of medieval art ever created.

It is an enormous privilege to experience this masterpiece in this glorious state: beautifully conserved and carefully restored for generations to come.

We’re hugely grateful to York Glaziers Trust and all the people who have been involved in this epic undertaking for all their hard work and commitment. The end result is breathtaking.