York Minster: now available on eBay and in suburban gardens
Published August 9th, 2006
TO THE dismay of conservationists, York Minster is helping to fund the restoration of its East Front by selling off original medieval stonework from the West Front.
Fashioned with religious devotion by master masons in the 14th century, carved stones that once formed an integral part of the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe have found themselves reposing as ornaments in suburban gardens after a sale last week that raised a disappointing £12,000 towards a £23 million refurbishment project.
Other buyers have disclosed that they intend to cut the ancient stones into small pieces and sell them as souvenirs of Old England on the internet, in the hope of lively interest from American buyers.
More than 100 stones, both medieval and 19th-century, which once formed part of the West Front and the Chapter House buttresses, were sold off, attracting strong criticism from some experts. One stone stood 3ft high; many others bore the remains of tracery carved by 14th-century hands.
Related Articles Elizabeth I painting found at US garden shopYork trading standards seize goods in eBay counterfeit crackdownRare Velvet Underground disc on eBayHugh Grant set to profit from New York Elizabeth Taylor portrait sale - Nov. 13Picasso Portrait on view in London prior to New York auction
