York Minster fire: 2024 marks 40 years since the day York Minster burned

The coming year will mark 40 years since the fire, a blaze thought to have been triggered by a lightning bolt, and one which caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Though plans for a commemoration have not yet been announced, undoubtedly it will be a time for reflection, particularly for the witnesses who still to this day can remember the night that York Minster burned.

The world joined Yorkshire in horrified disbelief as flames leapt from the roof of the building and more than 100 firefighters battled to save it. ‘God’s house in flames’, read The Yorkshire Post headline on July 10; nearby homes, guest houses and hotels were evacuated, whilst minster staff braved the burning building to rescue altar cloths, books of remembrance and candlesticks.

Even with huge volumes of water pumped from the River Ouse, firefighters struggled to contain the blaze, which had been burning undetected for some time in the roof space before the fire alarms started to sound.

Eventually, they used hoses to force the burning roof to fall, and once it was down, they could finally extinguish the flames. Crews reported the fire to be under control at around 5am, but they would spend a further 24 hours damping down.

And then the clear up began. Attention turned to restoring the minster, using the methods and materials of its medieval builders. It took four years of painstaking work from craftsmen to see it rise from the ashes, ending with a re-dedication service in the presence of The Queen in October 1988. The cost of around £2.25m was funded in part by hundreds of private donations.

When, back in 2014, the minster marked the 30th anniversary of the fire with an Evensong service, the then leader of York City Council summed up the efforts of those who responded to the blaze.

“The hard work and dedication of professionals and volunteers in the early hours of July 9, 1984 means that today the Minster remains a focal point of worship in the city,” he said. “It continues to be visited by around half a million people each year, and that makes it an invaluable asset.”