Postscript to York

WHILE stonemasons such as Deb Hughes at York Minster have been carving new pieces of stone as part of the res tora tion, there has been a large number of interesting pieces of old stone to be dis­posed of. So an auction was held, with individual lots ranging from complex tracery panels, finials, and pin nacles to smaller stones with simpler masonry details. Each piece had with it a certificate of auth entifica tion.

They proved popular: people bought them as stand-alone garden features, or to en hance a pond or rockery, or even as a base for a table lamp. When the auction was held in the Minster School grounds, 184 lots were sold, raising more than £20,000 towards the restora tion fund.

It was so successful that the Minster hopes to hold a similar auction next year.