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2021-03-31-accounts

The Friends of Beverley Minster 85th Annual Report 2020-2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 1 Charity No. 501302

Contents

Report of the Chairman of the Friends Roger Lewis 4
Two Churches One Town Tim Carlisle 5
Programme Secretary’s Report Pamela Martin 6
Events Programme 7
Vicar’s Report Jonathan Baker 8
Translation Barbara English 10
Beverley Minster Archaeological Study John Phillips, Stuart Harrison 14
Membership Secretary’s Report Liz Grove 20
Music in the Minster Robert Poyser 24
Report of the Minster Building Surveyor Simon Delaney 26
Sanctuary Project Report Mervyn King 30
Annual Accounts James Moore 32
Restoration of the Minster’s Clock Dial Mike Robson 34
The Object of the Friends 36
Ofcers and Members of the Council 37
AGM Agenda 16 October 2021 38
AGM Agenda 19 April 2021 39
Minutes and reports of the 2020 AGM 40

Restoration of the roof on the lesser south transept complete

Crucial work to restore part of Beverley Minster’s crumbling fabric has been completed thanks to a grant of £406,700 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which is part of a project to tell its remarkable story of Sanctuary.

Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on the Minster’s Lesser South Transept. The works have involved re-leading the roof, repairing the roof timbers, conserving crumbling stonework and improving the lead gutters. The previous lead is thought to have been over 200 years old and was leaking, thereby causing, amongst other things, decay to the roof structure. The timbers have been repaired and strengthened where necessary, the gutters renewed and the roof recovered, all under the cover of a temporary roof to protect the Minster’s precious interior. The building restoration work has been carried out by Messenger Construction.

Marking the completion of the renovation work are, from left, Pete Ashcroft, project manager for the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Roger Lewis, chair of the Friends of Beverley Minster, Andy Burrell, architect from Carden & Godfrey, Tim Carlisle, the project director for Beverley Minster, and Martin Needler, the chair of Beverley Minster Old Fund.

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 3

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Report of the Chairman of the Friends

Roger Lewis

represents a priority for us all.

As you will see when reading this annual report, the year has been dominated by the external event of Covid. As far as the Friends are concerned this has meant postponement of the 2019 social programme – firstly to 2020, only picking up again late in 2021 (with the AGM and annual St John Lecture). We adapted (to some extent) to the constraints imposed by Covid by regular contributions to the Friends’ section of the Minster website and by running series of Zoom lectures (see the Programme Secretary’s report).

We have also agreed to help match fund a further bid for government funding. The bid has been led by Two Churches One Town, a new charity whose purpose is to raise funding for Beverley’s two major churches. A consequence of the success of the bids for funding has been that – on the outside of the building at least – there has been much activity at the Minster during Covid times.

It has been a delight to see the purposeful work of masons, carpenters, and scaffolders, returning the scene to one that would be recognizable to anyone returning from the Middle Ages. The essentials of building work remain unchanged through the centuries.

We also had to respond to several requests for significant funding, especially for work on the roofs (initially the south quire transept roof, then the nave). Traditionally, such work has been looked after by the Old Fund but given the extent of the challenge, other organisations have had to play a part. This means the Old Fund and the Friends (given the inability the PCC to provide support, see the Vicar’s report). Our funding, together with that of the Old Fund, has released government funding to help with the roofs.

Another external activity attracting much press and public attention has been the cleaning and re-gilding of the clock face (see later in this annual report). Again, this has brought pleasure to passers -by at such a difficult time. It was the subject of one of our Zoom talks. The Friends funded the entirety of the work and we must thank Mike Robson (Captain of the Tower and Keeper of the Steeple) for conceiving the project and managing all aspects of the Friends’ involvement, including liaison with the Cumbria Clock Company, Minster staff, and the media.

This has been a departure for us. In the past major building activity has been an Old Fund responsibility, and maintenance has been the territory of the PCC. We had to check our founding document to make sure we were acting within our remit as a charity in funding fabric work. New circumstances require new approaches and we are sure members will agree that keeping the Minster in good condition (and attracting major government funding to achieve this)

All this, together with the publication of Beverley Minster: History, Architecture and Meaning have meant that Covid times have in fact been very busy and productive for the Friends.

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Two Churches One Town

Tim Carlisle

We are very pleased to report that Two Churches One Town charity has so far raised some £4.6m towards the £20m restoration of The Minster and St Mary’s church in Beverley.

this year. In this case the project cost is some £972,000. The Friends agreed to underwrite 50% of the cost of the phase 2 nave roof project (western part) to a maximum of £476,000, with an equal financial commitment from the Old Fund. This sum will be reduced as VAT is recoverable and we have a donation from other sources. Any savings will be shared equally between the Friends of the Minster and the Old Fund.

The project to re-lead the roof to the Minster Lesser South Transept, which completed in March 2021, was funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund and Beverley Minster Old Fund. The Friends kindly donated the sum of £49,000 as match funding for interpretation of the Minster’s renovation work.

We have just made another bid for external funding and the Friends have also agreed to support this too if we are successful. We will learn the outcome in September.

The risk we faced with the nave roof was long term damage caused to the highly significant medieval roof structure through continuous water ingress and damage to the vaulted ceiling with potential for plaster to fall onto the floor of the Minster in the event of another major leak.

We are very grateful to The Friends for their financial support. Without the generous help of The Friends, we are in serious danger of losing what we all have and the unique skyline that Beverley has given to generations for nearly 1,000 years could change forever.

In October 2020 Two Churches One Town secured a grant from the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund for some £601,000 towards the £1,100,000 cost of Phase 1 of the nave roof. This project involved urgent work on the east end of the nave roof and included replacement of failed leadwork and gutters, replacing sarking boards and structural repairs to roof. This was supported with a generous donation from The Friends of £152,000 and was completed at the end of March 2021.

We seized the opportunity of saving significant cost by continuing restoration of the remaining half of the nave roof (Phase 2) and this will be completed in November

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Programme Secretary’s Report

Pamela J Martin

Events Programme September– October 2021

COACH TOUR

Friday 3 September 2021 8.15 (for 8.30 start)

The main focus in the last few months has been arranging four Zoom lectures for members, free of charge, in order to fill the Spring/early Summer period when events would normally have taken place in the form of a Study Day and early Summer Guided Tours of the Minster. It would have been impossible to stage these given the current Covid 19 situation at that time.

The Zoom Lectures commenced in April and continued, one per month on Monday evenings until July 2021. Each talk commenced at 7.00pm and was approximately one hour in length with questions at the end. The first was delivered by John Phillips on the subject of ‘Sculptures, Screens and Misericords’ (Monday 12th April). This was well supported and received. The next, presented by Sally George, was entitled ‘Minute Book Musings from the Friends’ Archive’, when Sally shared the results of her research on Monday 10th May, generating a number of questions and discussion afterwards. Sally and Steve George’s daughter, Alexa Stephens spoke about her recent achievement as ‘Young Church Architect of the Year’ on Monday 7th June, describing her work with enthusiasm and commitment. Finally, Mike Robson (Captain of the Tower and Keeper of the Steeple) shared his experiences of ‘Changing Times’ on Monday 5th July 2021. Mike has fulfilled this role for fifty years and had many stories to relate, finishing with the gilding of the clock face this summer, a project

with which he had much involvement Thanks should be given to several people for making these Zoom Lectures possible. Firstly to Steve George for sharing his technical expertise so generously, also to John Phillips for his contribution to technical aspects, to our Chairman, Roger Lewis, for introducing each event and dealing with the ensuing questions and last but not least to all speakers for giving of their time and expertise.

The Programme for the remaining part of 2021 has been cautiously planned and as a result comprises two events:Firstly, the intention to resurrect the illfated coach tour of 2020 to Jervaulx and Coverham Abbeys on Friday 3rd September 2021. Our guide for the day will be Dr Stuart Harrison, who is an expert on both Abbey locations, having conducted much research over a number of years.

Secondly, a one day event in October – Saturday 16th October 2021– which will replace the October weekend we are accustomed to. This will comprise the AGM for 2021 followed by a lecture (St John of Beverley Lecture) on Sanctuary by Edward Everett finishing with afternoon tea. The lecture is intended to further develop the recent Minster project of Sanctuary with its current exhibition.

We look forward to meeting all those Friends who are able to attend these events.

Visit to Jervaulx Abbey and Coverham Abbey Gardens (privileged private visit – not open to the public).

Guide: Dr Stuart Harrison Guided tours of both venues. Cost per person: £56 (£51 for Friends)

Includes Morning Coffee, Buffet Lunch (East Witton) and Afternoon Refreshments (Coverham Abbey), entrance fees, etc.

Meet on Eastgate near the junction with Minster Yard North Return home approximately 19.15

(Parking available in Beverley Minster Car Park opposite the Highgate Entrance) Further details on the Minster website

Saturday 16 October 2021 AGM & St John of Beverley Lecture

Minster Parish Hall

14.00 AGM 15.15

St John of Beverley Lecture

Speaker: Edward Everett ‘Sanctuary’

Afternoon Tea

No cost to Friends for lecture and tea; £5 for non-Friends

Booking Enquiries to:

The Programme Secretary, Friends of Beverley Minster 85, Ancaster Avenue, Hull, HU5 4QR

E-mail: friendsbooking@beverleyminster.org.uk Telephone: 01482 442221 Please use the enclosed form to apply for places

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The Vicar’s Report

Revd Canon Jonathan Baker

The good news is that by the time you read this, Beverley Minster will be much more open and active than it was a few months ago.

Through much of the last year the Minster has been closed to visitors and only opened for private prayer and worship in a very limited way. It has felt like hard work simply to stand still, as we have tried to adapt to each successive change in Government Covid 19 regulations.

At the same time the outward appearance of the Minster building has communicated a contrarian message, with three successive phases of the roof repairs being either completed or got under way (all of them with crucial match funding provided by the Friends), and with the clock being regilded, again thanks to the Friends. Local residents might be forgiven for thinking that everything was carrying on as normal, without any difficulty.

Observers might also be forgiven for thinking that the Minster must be very wealthy if it could afford such extensive work on the fabric in the middle of a pandemic. The truth is that the Parochial Church Council, which normally takes responsibility for running costs rather than fabric repairs, has had a difficult year financially. Loss of income from the shop and from visitors, concerts and events, from fees for weddings and hiring out the hall and rooms, has exacerbated what was already a challenging situation before the pandemic.

In response to this, two posts have had to be made redundant, placing extra pressure on remaining staff. Contactless giving points have been introduced and are being well used by visitors in the Minster. A decision has been made in principle to hand over the car park to a commercial organisation so that it can generate an income. It is possible that the Parish Centre on Highgate may have to be rented out commercially as well, although the associated costs of this may prove prohibitive. Discussions are under way about creating separate funds for music and youth work so that these areas can be supported in ways that relieve the strain on PCC commitments.

Everyone agrees that the long term solution is to generate growth, but this is easier said than done. What is clear is that doing nothing is not an option. Over the last decade the Minster has not only seen increasing pressure on its finances, but it has also suffered declining congregations; the two problems are of course connected, as fewer worshippers mean fewer committed givers.

The PCC has therefore been preparing for life after lockdown by developing a fresh vision strategy. The aim of this is to clarify what we think our purpose and priorities are, making it easier for staff, volunteers, congregations and related organisations like the Friends, Old Fund and Two Churches One Town to understand the direction of travel and, we hope, promote it. The practical aim is to see the Minster community grow. The Church

of England nationally and in the Diocese of York is doing something similar, and in response to similar issues.

The vision strategy begins with four headings, from which arise a number of actions. The focus is on reminding ourselves why people might embrace the Christian faith at all. Our vision states that the church exists to help people become more like Christ, by offering a life changing message of transformation. It exists to reach those we currently don’t, and not merely serve those who already belong. We recognise that as the church aims to do these things, it will become a church of missionary disciples, adapting its attention outwards and reflecting more the diverse concerns and culture of those it is seeking to serve. And the PCC acknowledges that for this to happen there must be a willingness to reshape our structures and finances so that they support the vision goals more directly.

This report probably isn’t the best place to unpack that in detail. Suffice it to say that behind these broad headings are dozens of action points which are intended to sharpen the Minster’s mission and ministry, and help it to grow. Some are already being implemented (such as the restructuring of staff responsibilities), many require only modest improvements (such as creating clearer pathways so that people who come to us for baptisms, weddings and funerals have the opportunity to get involved in other ways). Some are more radical (such as the ambition to set up a weekly service of more informal contemporary worship, which is nearly always a hallmark of a growing church), while others are risky (such as developing one or two social outreach projects addressing areas of need in the

wider community). Some are obvious (such as consolidating all we have learned over the past year about promoting ourselves online), others will be deeply challenging (such as developing a coherent and realistic communications strategy to let everyone know what is going on).

The scope of the vision strategy is ambitious, but it doesn’t all have to be done at once. It will set the agenda for the next few years, and much will depend upon our ability to identify lay people willing to drive the changes in specific areas.

Whilst not all of this will be of central interest to the Friends as an organisation, it may help to be aware that it is going on and that the PCC is being proactive about seeking to grow the Minster. It also provides a context for discussing with the Friends whether they might wish to work with the PCC in improving some of the Minster’s infrastructure, such as the unreliable lighting system. The very process of working up such a strategy and offering it can help people to feel energised and hopeful about the future.

One of the features of this strategy is that it is an open process, and can evolve. I am therefore looking forward to discussing with the Friends Council whether this is something which they would like to engage with so that they can offer their own insights. One of the action points is about seeking wherever possible to work in partnership.

All of this means that as Covid 19 restrictions recede the daily life of the Minster is likely to pick up fast. The coming year will be busy but full of hope, as we seek to adjust to a continually changing world.

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Translation

A talk given by Barbara English at the virtual AGM on Monday 19 April 2021

Let us start with a quotation from the 20th century floor slab in the nave:

In 2021 it is 1300 years since John’s death, and 600 years since the visit of King Henry V to Beverley, to give thanks to St John for his help at the battle of Agincourt in 1415 (yes it did take Henry a long time to get here, but after Agincourt he was hardly ever in England, trying to hold on to France meant perpetual war).

“Here lies the body of Saint John of Beverley”.

My question is ….does it really?

St John died on 7 May 721, and Henry visited on 8/9 April 1421. But the date that ties the two anniversaries together, is actually 25 October, the day on which Agincourt was fought, and the day of the year on which the container of St John’s remains were ‘translated’ for the last time to lie inside the new and glorious casket, made by the London goldsmith Richard of Faringdon. In Shakespeare’s play, King Henry on the eve of battle, says ‘This day is called the feast of Crispian.’ I always regret that Shakespeare did not say, ‘This day is called the feast of the Translation of St John of Beverley’ but you do see it is hard to get all that into the majestic roll of the pentameters of that amazing speech – and even after omitting St John, Shakespeare had to play around with two

Battle of Agincourt

St Taurin reliquary c.1240

names, Crispin and Crispian, saints, martyrs, shoemakers and apparently twins, who died on 25 October, centuries before John was translated.

Translation is the moving of the body of a saintly person out of the ground and into a special place.

In Catholic Europe, if miracles began to occur at a grave, people thought it was inappropriate to leave the saint’s body in the ground along with everyone else, and saints were usually, nearly always, dug up and moved upwards and usually eastwards. There were then two holy places, the empty tomb, and the shrine (there are various Latin words for these places, I am going to use tomb and shrine). John was originally buried at the east end of the Minster, east of the high altar. He was recognised as a saint locally, and his sanctity was confirmed by the archbishop in 1037 (by the 12th century only the pope could do this). Leland in the early 16th century recorded in his Collectanea, that the saint’s bones were translated, that is, moved, 316 years after

his death, and another source (Dugdale, Visitation 1665) suggests he was moved to the high altar. In the grave says Leland (Beverley Chapter Act Book II p.350), at the Translation of 1037 they found a ring and a fragment of the Gospels; Dugdale mentions beads and nails. It was probably in 1037 that the first reliquary was made for John, separate from his tomb.

Reliquaries are a fairly standard shape, little houses with pitched roofs – they became more and more decorated, looking more like little churches, and may have been designed by architects and constructed by goldsmiths.

The goldsmith’s contract for John’s last shrine of 1292 specified it was to be ‘adorned with plates and columns in architectural style with figures everywhere of size and number as the Chapter determine, and canopies and pinnacles before and behind, and other proper ornaments.’

We have the dimensions of the outer casing, it was to be 5 ft long, 1.5ft wide and of proportionate height: the inner chest must of course have been smaller and was not large enough for a skeleton, but would hold 3 bones and maybe some other relics, a seal, a ring, clothes, holy books. All this gold, silver and jewels was taken in 1548 by the Protestant government of Edward VI, and there is no record of what happened to the contents. Are we to accept that the relics went back under the nave floor?

It is important to realise that for many saints, the Translation was regarded as equally or more significant than the date of death. It marked the full achievement of recognised sainthood. Translations were the occasions of great church festivals which

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Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 11

could last for days, and the offerings of the people on the annual Translation feast of, for instance, Thomas Becket, were much greater than on the day of his death. Major saints could be translated many times. This was partly for religious reasons, to honour the saint with a better place, but also because the church was constantly being rebuilt, extended, altered. Cuthbert of Durham, whose post mortem wanderings were legendary, was translated 4 times, as was Swithin of Winchester; William of York 3 times. At translations it was common practice to remove pieces of the saint to give to ‘important people’ – some archbishops expected an arm for presiding over a translation, and sometimes, says Ben Nilson in a great book on shrines, the cost could be ‘an arm and a leg’.

There are descriptions of an exhumation for a translation, and it was an elaborate religious ceremony – the tomb was opened at dead of night, the remains carefully washed, wrapped and placed in a new chest. John’s bones, first separated from his grave in 1037, were translated again in the 1060s, possibly after the fire of 1188. Horrox thinks the bones were put back into the grave after the tower fell around 1213, but probably moved out again in the mid 13th century.

John was translated yet again in 1307 on 25 October, when the relic chest (the feretrum) was put into the very elaborate gold, silver, enamel, jewelled casket made by Roger of Faringdon, an outer casing (the capsula) that could be raised on pulleys to reveal the interior chest. It is the date of this 1307 move that became the established feast day, the Translation of St John of Beverley. The inner chest or perhaps both inner and outer golden boxes were carried around Beverley for 4-5 days in the summer before the annual 12 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Cross Fair, and 25 October, the date of the 1307 move, that is the one that chimes with Agincourt.

It seems to have been about 1200 when the grave was relocated to the nave, where a marker was put in place in 1726 and again in the 20th century. Can any of St John really be there in the nave? Certainly not his body. None of the evidence is easy to interpret, much depends on later accounts of miracles, or what historians recorded as tradition in the 15th century (Leland) or 17th century (Dugdale). John Phillips’ book (Of a Fair Uniforme Making) is particularly helpful in linking the miracles to the fabric.

You will remember that St Swithin at Winchester disapproved of being moved, as he made it rain until he got his own way. St John’s relics on the other hand was processed around the outside of the Minster around 1100 to break a long Yorkshire drought, and while crossing the east end, the heavens opened and the clergy got very wet. It was a miracle.

So – can we still say with confidence ‘Here lies the body of Saint John of Beverley’?

A red herring for you to think about - a 19th century anonymous writer (Sketches of Beverley and the Neighbourhood) says the stairs in the north choir aisle to the two storey chapter house were for the Shrine of St John. Is there any chance that this is right? There is one miracle story that says the tomb cover had polished marble shafts, and of course the stairs do have polished ‘marble’ shafts, but then so do many other parts of the Minster. Two-storey chapter houses are rare in England (only 7, although they include Westminster, Wells and Rievaulx) To

my surprise, Lichfield claims its own ‘Chapter House is the only two-storey Chapter House in the UK,’ in a press release for a restoration grant which they got – a careless application, with an error easily detected.

As an old historian myself, the Minster stairs would be a challenge as they are at Wells. Would the canons of Beverley who also had old knees, want to climb up daily and perhaps more than once a day? To have a sacristy and treasury underneath? Should we revisit this interpretation of those wonderful stairs?

Representation of St John of Beverley, reredos carving 1826

Henry V, anon 16th C

Finally

On 25 October we will at Beverley celebrate the Translation of St John, and Henry V’s visit because of that Translation. We will not forget it, nor I hope will those that come after us.

I’d like to end with 4 lines from that famous speech:

And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

Not that the Friends are few – for they are many. But remember we should.

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Beverley Minster: Recent and Ongoing Archaeological Study of the Nave and North Transept Roof Timbers

Dr Stuart Harrison FSA Cathedral Archaeologist, York Minster John Phillips FSA Secretary, Friends of Beverley Minster

The recent work re-leading the nave roof of the minster gave us an opportunity to examine the medieval roof trusses that was too good to miss. Fig 1 below. The scaffolding gave access

to virtually all areas of the roof which is a rare occurrence. Fig 2 below.

Earlier studies by Paul Barnwell, Alison Armstrong and David Cant in 2009 for ‘Who Built Beverley Minster? ’ had recorded some of the roof’s main features including some of the carpenters’ marks. Dendrochronological sampling on a small scale by Ian Tyers in 2012 had given some indications of dates including some of the main tie beams which were introduced or replaced in the 18th century and other reused timbers of the late 12th to possibly early 13th century.

Having done a substantial amount of work on the reused timbers throughout the main roofs of the minster, including the choir, and particularly the south east transept when it was scaffolded out in 2020, we were keen to do more when the whole eastern half of the nave roof was scaffolded for the re-leading and also some timber replacement and repair of the trusses. John Phillips secured some

funding from the Friends to pay for more dendrochronology sampling and Alison Arnold and Robert Howard from Nottingham Tree Ring Dating Laboratory took various samples from the nave timbers we had previously marked with blue tape. Fig 3 above, Fig 4 left . Dendrochronology, or ‘tree ring dating’ as it is often known, can provide an invaluable insight into the history of a building by revealing the year in which the timbers used in its construction were felled.

This was mainly targeted at the reused timbers in order to try and

obtain felling dates which might give an indication of the age of the earlier roof they represented. In that respect dates of between 1177 and 1202 were obtained which suggests an early 13th century felling for the timbers as a whole. This was interesting because, as the building was possibly started shortly after the fire of September 1188, it represents a very short building campaign of twelve to fourteen years for the possible completion of the choir, transepts and chapter house. This may also account for the large number (in excess of 270) masons cutting stone

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Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 15

for the building, accounted for by the masons’ marks catalogued by John during his initial investigations from 2005-2015.

The roof construction falls into two or three phases which relate to the construction of the clerestory of the nave in stages starting at the east end. The first phase and a substantial part of the second one contains reused timbers from an earlier roof. Fig 5 below.

That roof design was first reconstructed by Stefan King in the late 1990s when he was an MA student at York University. Subsequent work by Stuart Harrison and John Phillips suggested that the earlier roof he had identified was of steeper pitch than King had supposed and actually originated in the eastern transepts of the minster. This was published together with other roof frame reconstructions from the choir and transepts in John’s book.**

Careful examination of surviving joints showed up an error in our earlier analysis and indicated that Stefan King had been right in his reconstruction of the earlier roof frame. It transpired that the mortice joints we had previously examined had been systematically over cut by the carpenter which gave a false angle of pitch for the main rafters. We

obviously didn’t or were unable to reach and measure the joints with the correct angle that Stefan must have measured. That, combined with the intersection angles of the solaces and inner rafters had completely misled us. It was a salutary warning of how things can be misinterpreted.

We have now revised the reconstruction and rather than fitting over the relatively narrow span of the eastern transepts the roof frames fitted over a span similar to that of the present nave as King had originally suggested. Some aspects need more examination and work, but the type of frame design is becoming clearer.

Fig 6 Roof truss record

The western half of the nave roof is now scaffolded out and we have been recording the reused timbers, their

joints, their locations, the amount of replaced timber in each truss, the carpenters’ marks and the design of the trusses and their joints.

Fig 7 Carpenter’s mark and reused timber

This is all adding to our overall knowledge of the nave roof structure in considerable detail.

These samples provide a complementary study to other work that we are doing which involves investigating the brick vaults of the nave.

Fig 8 ‘Long’ brick. Reused example from rebuilt wall in Friars Lane

These are built with an unusual sized brick, longer than the standard size, and these bricks were produced in the Hull area from about 1320, at that stage only for the walls of Hull, and from a brickyard which closed as soon as that

work was completed. However, similar sized bricks appear in the choir at Holy Trinity, Hull, after about 1340, and later at Thornton Abbey gatehouse which was licensed in 1382 and used bricks from Hull.

Fig 9 Thornton Abbey gatehouse

The latest occurrence found so far is in the North Bar at Beverley dating from 1409-10, and for which we have building accounts. More than twenty brick makers were used, all within the local area. The bricks in the vault at the Minster are the same general dimensions and most likely of local manufacture, so point to a date in the late14th to early 15th century. This information, coupled with the dates of the heraldry in the original west window of the nave recorded by Sir William Dugdale in 1641 at 13861399, is narrowing the timeframe for the completion of the nave and the construction of the vault, which would have been built after the completion of the roof, to keep the new work dry in construction.

Some more dendrochronology in the west end of the nave sampling will also target key timbers to try and establish

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if their felling dates coincide with documentary evidence for the acquisition of timbers for the roof construction in the1380s from the estate of the disgraced Archbishop Neville who gave oaks from his estate at North Burton and ‘Skaholme’ to both the Minster and St Peter at York, and these oaks are recorded as already felled by 1387-8.

Tied into this study is another one on the roof of the north transept.

Fig 11 Medieval rafter reused as a purlin in the 1718 - 1721 reconstruction

We have also been studying these and have been able to reconstruct some medieval truss designs from them. Yet there are also some open and puzzling questions of where some timbers fitted and their origin. In theory the roof should only have reused timbers from either the central tower which was also taken down or the north transept roof itself.

Fig 10 Medieval timber reused as rafters and the 18th century truss supporting the roof

This roof is a key construction because it was the first one taken down and rebuilt in the 18th century. That rebuilding was caused by the works to stabilise and jack the north transept elevation back upright. Parts of the clerestory and the high vault were taken down, so the roof had to come off first. It was rebuilt in a new design which incorporated a lot of reused timbers as common rafters and purlins.

** Of a Fair Uniforme Making by John Phillips is available on Amazon and from the Minster Shop/online

www.beverleyminster.org.uk/store

In an effort to date the reused timbers we have selected a series of them for dendrochronology sampling and marked them with blue tape again, so that Alison Arnold and Robert Howard know which ones to sample. This speeds up the sampling process considerably and targets the timbers more carefully. It will be interesting to see what dates they produce and if they are a homogenous group or a disparate one. This might actually be a key study in dating the construction of the minster overall.

We are very grateful to the Friends for their support in funding this important campaign of dendrochronological sampling which we hope will give us considerably more insight into the dating of the building. We both do the work in our own time and at our own expense, out of interest in the history of the Minster, both in its own right, and in comparison with similar structures. No-one else seems equipped or prepared to take advantage of scaffolding and other unique and unrepeatable opportunities to record the history of this exceptional and beautiful building.

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Membership Secretary’s Report

Liz Grove, Hon. Membership Secretary

Despite the continued limitation on the Friends’ activities imposed by Covid this year, we have been very busy using your generous contributions to support the Minster, and as ever we are very grateful for your support.

This has been the year of electronic communication and fundraising in the Minster, and the Friends are benefitting from partial access to this facility. Several people have now joined online, and we are able to offer communications electronically to those who desire this. Sending the Newsletter and / or the Annual Report by email saves on both printing and postage costs, but some people (like me!) prefer hard copy, especially for the annual report. The choice is yours – just let me know your preference, at friends@beverleyminster.org.uk

Mr M Stuart

Mr & Mrs C Waddington, of Dunston, Northampton * Mr & Mrs A Wilkinson, of Beverley * *Joined online All are most welcome

Deaths:

Mr Robert and Mrs June Bracken, of Beverley Mr Phil Deller, long-standing Friend and Welcomer in the Minster Mrs Mary Everett, of Beverley Mrs Hazel Harrison, of Pocklington, widow of former Vicar of the Minster, Peter Harrison Mrs Doreen Shaw, of Beverley Mrs Barbara Theakston, of Beverley Mr Peter Ward, of Beverley, who kindly left us a generous donation in his Will Mr Don Wright, of Cherry Burton, another long-standing Minster friend.

New members:

Dr A Albudri, of Beverley, leading soprano in the Minster choir, and medieval historian Mr & Mrs E Davies, of South Brent, Devon * Mrs A Mulford, of Beverley Mrs L Pearson, of Brough Mr & Mrs M Redhead, of Willerby, our invaluable database designer Ms N Rowland, of Beverley Mr & Mrs T Russ, of Edinburgh J A Scott Mr G Stephenson, of Beverley * Mrs I Stocks, of Pocklington Ms L Stothard-Chew, of Nafferton * Ms F Stride, of Alston *

I am so sorry if you know of a Friend who has died but who has not been mentioned. Please let me know, and accept our sympathy.

Current membership: 432 (25.8.21), down from 453 last year. Sadly there may be more deaths to record, and recruitment has been hampered by the Minster being closed for a large part of the year. But we continue to be delighted to welcome new Friends, especially those christening our online service. We are also very grateful for those kind enough to remember us in their Will.

20 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 21

The Friends match-funded the cost of renovating the nave roof

22 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Restoration of the Minster’s Clock Dial

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 23

all concerned. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the music at Beverley Minster to the wider world. Huge thanks to our recording engineer, David Rose, Revd Tim Kelly for many many hours editing and to Luca Myers, our Junior Organ Scholar for playing so superbly. Luca is off to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in September as their organ scholar. Another of our choir, Maddy Bellotti has won a choral scholarship to Exeter College Oxford. We congratulate them both on their achievements and wish them every success for their future which will undoubtedly be glittering! Our choristers have been busy doing zoom and in person exams too. We have 4 Gold Awards, 5 Archbishop’s Awards,1 Silver, 4 Dean’s and a Bronze Award. So many medals!

One of the great things that has helped maintain a bond between the choir and the Minster in the darkest days of lockdown has been the Choral Foundation. Lessons have been maintained throughout the year in most cases and for this I am hugely grateful to the teachers involved. The Friends’ support of this scheme has been invaluable during the past year and has made a vital difference in our encouragement of the many young people involved in it. Thank you.

Music in the Minster

Robert Poyser, Director of Music

This past year has been a standard year with the usual round of services, concerts, events, tours and social activities….or not. In line with every other aspect of people’s lives, the music at the Minster has had to respond to unprecedented challenges in order just to survive and maintain some semblance of what we do. We have had to flex with the rule changes, some unexpected, others telegraphed in advance and try to keep going under most unusual and trying circumstances. The choir has coped marvellously with things. We have had zoom choir rehearsals during the Autumn and early 2021 lockdowns, zoom quizzes in abundance and more appearances of pets at choir than ever before. When we have sung in person we have done so in small teams with social distancing in place and have managed to explore some different repertoire to keep us on our toes. We are currently emerging from operating 7 separate choirs (junior choir, boys, junior girls, youth choir and three adult teams of 6) to cover the service patterns and it will be interesting to see what choral forces we assign to the weekly services from September.

Our choir numbers peaked at 80 (57 under 18) this year with a number of new boys and girls joining us. I think this has made us the largest church choir in the diocese. All is not straightforward next term as we lose a large number over the summer to university and moving away. A term of rebuilding in imaginative ways awaits, as I fear it does for most cathedral and major church choirs in the country.

Going forward, there are challenges ahead. It will be interesting to see how the Minster’s developing Vision Strategy goes from the planning and consultation stage and in to action; also, to see what place Music has in it. As a department we are greatly diminished from where we were pre pandemic.

Along the way, we have managed some amazing things. Our Carol Service recorded and then aired on Christmas Eve was an extraordinary effort for

We have no organ scholars, both junior and University based, no Assistant Organist and one fewer Associate Organist. What we do have is a lot of dedicated choir members of all ages raring to go and contribute to the Minster and help us through. Going from crisis management to a longterm sustainable footing seems a way off at the moment but something we can hopefully reach in 2022.

24 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 25

Report of the Minster Building Surveyor

Simon Delaney

As you will be aware from recent press articles the work to the lesser south transept roof has been completed using funds from NHLF (matched by Old Fund and Friends of the Minster). Using funding from the Headley Trust we also replaced four pinnacles. All is complete with the exception of the low level stonework. We have the stone in the masons’ yard and Dennis Massey (our stonemason) with the help of Steve Rial will undertake this in conjunction with other maintenance work such as the lesser south transept windows.

With the money from the COVID Recovery fund (helped again by the Old Fund and the Friends of the Minster) the east end of the nave roof lead was replaced along with some decayed sections of structural oak and a percentage of the sarking boards. Markings on the lead suggest that the current lead covering was laid in the 1740s, so we have had several lifetimes from that roof with all the patching Steve and his predecessors have done over more than two centuries. The replacement of the nave roof should be completed by early November. The nave project has also picked up on some high-level stone repairs required, capitalising on the scaffolding in place. To overcome issues with delayed supply from the Tadcaster quarry we have supplied stone from our yard to complete these items and Messenger have reordered replacement stones that will go into the lesser south transept.

It was noted that one of the north side pinnacles was a medium priority for replacement. As this would require a scaffold tied through the roof sheet it was decided that, using stone we had in stock, Dennis would cave this pinnacle and replace it earlier than expected to avoid putting holes into, and patching, our new roof within its first few years with us. The base sections are now in place and the grotesques will be up soon. The new pinnacle will be looking over the Highgate entrance; once it’s up see if you can recognise anyone carved into the stone. We have also taken the opportunity to renew the safety lines on the roof, which are essential to us maintaining the high areas of the Minster.

During the preparation for the replacement roofs Steve and Dennis have preceded the contractor stripping the craftsmen’s marks/ graffiti. We have a collection of markings saved within the roof showing dates, names and even engravings of balloons. We need a plan to save and display these.

As you can imagine the Old Fund team have been as always having a busy summer, but this is the second summer with a large project on site and they have been drawn into the projects with their experience to add expertise to the contract team whilst also doing all the work they have to, to maintain our fantastic building. Carving stones, creating new lead downpipes, undertaking temporary repairs to a

damaged stained glass window broken by the scaffolders, or giving background information to the project team have all pulled the team away from their day to day workload, but not stopped them from doing their usual great job.

With this in mind they have undertaken repairs on the retro quire and south west tower roofs and in the gutters generally, and continue to keep the gutters and downpipes as clear of nesting material as they can. With the peregrines’ returning with three fledglings this year they have been getting some help, as the pigeons start getting a little nervous. With the help of Andrew Gibson from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust we relocated the nesting box on the south west tower which had been in its last location for five to six years, with no interest from these raptors. Moving it to face south was felt to be a better location to encourage its use.

With all the talk of which project comes next and what support it will need from the maintenance team planning, has been a little up in the air. We have plenty to do as always but the order for items like pinnacle and window replacement can be heavily influenced by the nature of major projects and the access they make available.

The Minster architect (Andy Burrell) has recently undertaken the quinquennial inspection (QI) survey with our support. A year late (blame that COVID thing), but we have great expectations for this latest of many QIs. Andy made time to speak to as many people with building knowledge as he could, not just the Old Fund team but people with knowledge such as the Tower Captain Mike Robson. We hope to get the report later in the year and this will help us plan work and will form the basis for funding bids.

26 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 27

We have been successful in getting 50% funding for a roof alarm for the low roofs over the virgers’ office/boiler house/shop store and toilets. The security of these roofs is important to minimise the risk of lead theft; we will soon have this covered by a monitored alarm system.

We made our first attempt to recruit a replacement to the team with Steve Rial due to retire in October 2022. This was not a success and we will be going out again to look to find someone who get fill Steve’s experienced boots. Please spread the word as we would ideally like someone as early as we can to sit alongside Steve and Dennis before we lose Steve.

A welcome by product of all the roofing works that have taken place are materials to upcycle to raise funds for the up keep of the Minster. Although the biggest quantity of

material being taken off the roof is the lead, this has been sent back to the lead providers and smelted down and recycled. Lead aside we have had sections of oak (some dating back to the 12th Century) and a lot of 18th century sarking boards as well as a quantity of handmade nails. A partnership has been made between Jane the shop manager and Beverley Men in Sheds to up cycle what they can and share any profits between the Minster/Old fund and the Men in Sheds (who are doing the donkey work). This has proved a good partnership with funds starting to trickle in from sales of sections of oak as well as a number of products made using the oak that are on sale via the shop. Even the nails are making £1 each. We will have a large number of the pine sarking boards remaining as due to warping and the amount of iron nails embedded in them uses are limited. Any ideas welcome as our initial idea of benches isn’t a possibility.

Steve and Dennis from the Old Fund Maintenance Team

28 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 29

Sanctuary Project Report

As visitors return to the Minster after restrictions are lifted, they are greeted by our volunteer welcomers and directed to our sanctuary exhibition and touch screens.

Mervyn King

In the Friends’ Spring Newsletter I was able to report good progress on the Sanctuary Project in 2020 despite the pandemic. In particular:

We continue to make progress and carefully monitor our activity against the plan approved by the NLHF.

In 2021we have:

You’ll remember that the project is partfunded by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). There are two aspects of the project that have been funded - the capital works on the lesser transept roof (assisted by funding from the Old Fund) and a number of activities (assisted by funding from the Friends) to engage a larger and more diverse audience with a heritage theme - we chose ‘place of sanctuary’.

The work on the roof (and subsequently other roofs with different grants) is covered elsewhere. However the NLHF will only support projects that have an interesting story with which to interest the general public.

We chose sanctuary because of the Minster’s tradition that the reputation of St John of Beverley had influenced King Athelstan sufficiently to have prompted him to give Beverley certain privileges, including the right of sanctuary in 938. The NLHF were attracted to our proposal to link medieval sanctuary with present day sanctuary seekers, and so our grant was approved.

30 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

l Appointed two Learning and Engagement Officers (a job share) to work with us on the second year of our project

l Completed the sanctuary exhibition and associated digital technology - 3 touch screens, projected video loop and image rich display boards

l Commissioned a film company to make videos, for our website and the exhibition, of stories based on medieval sanctuary seekers

l Revised our online self guided tour on the Minster website

l Revised what we tell visitors on our guided tours at floor and roof level

l Added the facility on our website to book and pay in advance for tours

l Provided training by Prof John Lennon and Dr Louise Hampson for our volunteers l Published a guide leaflet to sell to visitors

l Provided a feedback survey on our website for visitors to complete

l Purchased a complete digitisation of the Minster’s Sanctuary record book (from 1478) held in the British Library

As Covid restrictions are lifted we expect to strengthen our links with the wider community and schools.

All our news about the project is contained in our e-newsletter and on our website. To sign up for news, go to:

beverleyminster.org.uk/newsletter-sign-up/

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 31

The Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Accounts 2019 - 2020

The Friends of Beverley Minster

Annual Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2021

Statement of Financial Activities
Incoming Resources
Voluntary Income
Subscriptions
Donations and Bequests
Tax Recovered
Activities for Generating Funds
Study Days/ Trips
Book sales
Annual Dinner
Investment Income
Total Incoming Resources
Resources Expended
Charitable Activities
Choir Burseries
Reordering of the nave - Architects Fees
Books
Repairs to Friends Display Cabinet
Roof Repaires
Sanctuary Project
Dendrochronology Study
Repairs to Friends Display Cabinet
Activities for Generating Funds
Study Days /Trips
Annual Dinner
Governance Costs
Printing and stationery
Insurance
Sundries
Total Resources Expended
Net Incoming Resources
Other Recognised gains/losses
Gain/Loss on investments
Net Movement in funds
Total Funds Brought Forward		 2020/21
£
12,587
102,053
2,520
-
353
-
£
17,500
1,245
28,817
152,000
42,730
2,400
412
1,360
235
124		 £
117,160
353
33,316
150,829
£
244,692
412
1,719
246,823
£
95,994
-
£
199,132
103,138
£
1,060,899		 2019/20
£
13,404
55,540
2,779
3,837
920
1,040
29,504
107,024
10,000
2,882
8,260
85
4,309
1,090
1,945
215
77
£
£
£
28,863
78,161
17,760
-
60,401
1,000,498

The Friends of Beverley Minster

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021

Fixed Assets
Investments
Total Fixed Assets
Current Assets
Debtors
CBF Deposit
Cash at Bank
Total Current Assets
less
Creditors
Net Current Assets
Net Assets
£
Funds of Charity
Unrestricted funds
Brought forward
Add Surplus for the year
£		 2020/21
£
1,129,015
1,129,015
2,459
90
32,573
35,122
100
35,022
1,164,037
£
1,060,899
103,138
1,164,037
£		 2019/20
£
959,883
959,883
2,779
77,090
21,197
101,066
50
101,016
1,060,899
1,000,498
60,401
1,060,899

James Moore, Treasurer

Independent Examiner’s Report

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention :

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 41 of the 1993 Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act have not being met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

David Sunman, Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA)

32 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 33

The Restoration of the Minster’s Clock Dial

Mike Robson

When everything was prepared the dial was given a coat of rust inhibitor and primer before the first coat of black paint. After several days the dial was ready for the 23-carat gold leaf to be applied to the numerals and minutes in an operation that took six and a half hours to complete.

This year we have been able to carry out the restoration of the Minster’s clock dial, put on hold last year because of Covid. On Monday 7 June a specialist team from The Cumbria Clock Company arrived on site to prepare to abseil from the top of the tower to remove the hands from the clock face. The last time the hands were removed was in the early 1990s when the original bearings had collapsed in the spindle they attach to, causing the clock to stop at 6.30 every time the hands passed the VI numeral.

When the men had removed the hands and they were brought down safely, they were taken into the tower and placed in the lower ringing chamber ready for cleaning, repainting and finishing with gold leaf. With the hands removed, the fixings and stonework could be inspected to make sure everything was secure and in good order. The team could then begin cleaning and rubbing down the dial.

With the dial finished, work could begin on restoring the hands; the spindle they attach to was stripped down and checked. When everything was completed, the hands were wrapped in plastic and carried up the staircase to the roof. Both men went over the parapet of the tower, each with a clock hand attached, and abseiled down into position at the clockface ready to refit the hands. Once fitted, the hands were spun to check they ran freely and that nothing was catching anywhere, and then the plastic was removed.

The crowd that had gathered in the street below applauded as the men descended. All that was left was to reattach the hands’ connecting rod to the main clock mechanism and set the hands to the correct time.

The work to fully restore the clock dial to its original condition had taken eight days. The dial now looks as it would have done when it was put up in 1884.

This work has revealed that the dial was made in sections and bolted together,

each minute and numeral individually cast and bolted into place. Another interesting fact we learnt was that the dial had been painted in 1960 with a gold paint, and the workman who painted it left his initials and the date on the wall behind the numeral nine. We also found the original gold leaf under the paint.

The use of abseiling meant the general public could watch the operation, with

some people coming every day to check progress. Throughout this work we have had the press, TV and radio on site covering the story, giving us an ideal opportunity to promote the work of The Friends of Beverley Minster.

The story and photos have been in various papers for eight weeks and have brought people from far and wide to visit this unique building.

34 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 35

The Object of the Friends

From around 1180, when work was begun, to the present day the building and maintenance of Beverley Minster has been the responsibility of those who love this church.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Friends are invited to set their own level of annual subscription from a minimum of £20. Payment by Standing Order helps to reduce the clerical work, saves postage and is recommended to both new and existing members. Forms will be sent by the Membership Secretary on request.

The ‘Friends of Beverley Minster’ is a registered charity (formed in 1936) with the objective of uniting into a common fellowship all those throughout the world who wish to be associated with the work and worship of the Minster and the maintenance and enrichment of its fabric and furnishings. The Friends seek to be a link between those in Beverley and far beyond whose love of the Minster inspires them to have a share in preserving it in all its beauty for future generations.

GIFT AID

Members who pay income tax and/or capital gains tax can significantly increase the value of their subscriptions by declaring that they wish to have them treated as a donation under the gift aid scheme introduced in the Finance Act 2000. It enables the Friends to recover tax equal to 25p (in the current tax year) for every £1 donated. New members should apply to the Membership Secretary for a form of declaration.

Money raised by contributions from members of the Friends has been used to clean and restore the interior of the Minster and introduce most of the twentieth century furnishings that are seen today, provide a new window and artwork in the retro-quire, and, in 2007, pay for the refurbishment of the Minster Shop together with a magnificent new shop screen.

LEGACIES

We welcome legacies, however small. A suitable form of bequest will be sent on application to the Treasurer. Such gifts are free of duty.

If you wish to leave a legacy to the Friends of Beverley Minster the following clause should be included in your will: I bequeath the sum of £….. free of duty to ‘The Friends of Beverley Minster’ and I declare that the receipt of their treasurer for the time being shall be a sufficient discharge for the legacy.

Conservation and re-decoration are, however, on-going problems, and much work is still to be done.

Leaflets, incorporating an application form for membership, are available from the Friends’ Display Table in the north aisle or from the Membership Secretary.

Registered Charity No. 501302

Friends of Beverley Minster Officers and Members of the Council

Revd Canon Jonathan Baker (Vicar) The Minster Vicarage, Highgate, Beverley HU17 0DN

Professor Roger Lewis (Chairman) 29 Highgate, Beverley, HU17 ODN Tel. 01482 864082 Email: quigsy@hotmail.com

Mr Martin Needler (Old Fund Representative) Mr Steve George (PCC Representative) Ms Meg Choules (PCC Representative) Mr Mervyn King (Co-opted) Mr Robert Poyser (Co-opted) Mr Ian Champion (Co-opted)

Mr James Moore (Hon. Treasurer) 3 The Orchard, Tickton, Beverley HU17 9JE Tel. 01964 544145 Email: jamesfmoore@hotmail.co.uk

John Phillips (Hon. Secretary) 20 Fawcett Gardens, Driffield, Y025 5NR Tel: 01377 241082 Email: denscanis13@gmail.com

Elected members

Mr Mike Robson (Retires 2022) Mr Stephen Deas (Retires 2023) Mrs Helena Anderson (Retires 2023) Ms Gail Cahill (Retires 2023)

Ms Liz Grove (Hon Membership Secretary) 5 Long Lane Beverley HU17 0NH email: friends@beverleyminster.org.uk

Miss Pamela J Martin (Hon. Social Secretary) 85 Ancaster Avenue HULL HU5 4QR Tel: 01482 442221 Email: friendsbooking@beverleyminster.org.uk

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The Friends of Beverley Minster holds on computer the names and addresses of members. This information is used solely to print address labels to mail the annual report, newsletters and other information, and for membership records.

36 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 37

The AGM of the Friends of Beverley Minster to be held in the parish hall on Saturday 16 October 2021 at 14.00

The AGM of the Friends of Beverley Minster held by Zoom on Monday 19 April 2021 at 19.00

A G E N D A

  1. Apologies for absence

  2. Minutes of the 2020 AGM held on Monday 19th April 2021

  3. Matters arising

  4. Council Chairman’s Report – Prof. Roger Lewis

  5. Hon. Secretary’s Report - Mr John Phillips

  6. Hon. Treasurer’s Report – Mr James Moore

  7. Hon. Membership Secretary’s Report – Ms Liz Grove

  8. Hon. Social Secretary’s Report – Miss Pamela Martin

  9. Vicar’s Report – Rev. Jonathan Baker

  10. The adoption of the reports proposed by the Mayor of Beverley

  11. Adoption of the new Financial Policy

  12. Election of Officers

To be re-elected:

To be elected: New members of the Council.

NB. Those wishing to stand for election, or to propose a member for election should contact the secretary before the meeting.

  1. Any Other Business

This meeting replaces the AGM due to be held in October 2020 and covers the events between March 2019 and March 2020. All matters from March 2020 until March 2021 will be covered in the AGM in October 2021, and circulated in this year’s Annual Report, due to be published in August.

Please note: you will need your copy of the Annual Report for 2019-20, in which you will find the minutes of the previous AGM, the officers’ reports, the vicar’s report, and the annual accounts’.

A G E N D A

  1. Apologies for absence

  2. Minutes of the AGM held on Sunday 13th October 2019 3. Matters arising

  3. Council Chairman’s Report – Prof. Roger Lewis 5. Hon. Secretary’s Report - Mr John Phillips

  4. Hon. Treasurer’s Report – Mr James Moore

  5. Hon. Membership Secretary’s Report – Ms Liz Grove 8. Hon. Social Secretary’s Report – Miss Pamela Martin 9. Vicar’s Report – Rev. Jonathan Baker

  6. The adoption of the reports 11. Election of Officers

To be re-elected en bloc

To be elected: New members of the Council.

NB. Those wishing to stand for election as members of the Council, or to propose a member for election should contact the secretary before the meeting. There will be further elections of two more members next October to bring the number of elected members to 6.

  1. Any Other Business

38 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 39

Minutes of the AGM of the Friends of Beverley Minster held by Zoom on Monday 19 April 2021

This meeting was due to be held in October 2020 but was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions. The business of the meeting therefore refers to the year ending March 2020

which we are reporting coincided almost exactly with the first lockdown – when life seemed to change totally (and, as it felt, forever).

The year 2019-20 was a busy one for the Lottery Project which, as you will recall, has two components – roof repair, interpretation of the sanctuary theme. Lockdown made little difference to progress on the lesser south transept roof. It continued more or less to plan – with literally miles of scaffolding climbing up to the sky and workmen’s cheerful shouts filling the otherwise Covid-quiet atmosphere all around. It was good to see the activity. I explained the financial situation in my previous AGM report; how Friends’ approximately £50k released in total £774k, the bulk of which went to re-leading the roof. Whilst the scaffolding was up, additional stonework repairs were also carried out – spot the joins! The interpretation project also got underway. We recruited a project worker who drew up plans which were inevitably thwarted by Covid; alternative plans were drafted but that takes us beyond the year on which I am reporting.

The meeting was chaired by Professor Barbara English.

Present: Helena Anderson, Pamela Martin, John Phillips, Steve George, Martin Needler, Alan Coates, Edward Openshaw, John Askey, Meg Choules, James Moore, Jonathan Baker, Stephen Deas, Mervyn Kind, Gail Cahill, Shirley and David Learoyd, Roger Lewis, Bernard and Carla Vickers, Jane Payne, Barbara Harcourt, Jacqui Odini, Robert Poyser, Geoff and June Stephenson.

1. Apologies for absence: The Bishop of Hull, Mike Robson. Pamela Hopkins, Ian Champion, Liz Grove.

2. The minutes of the AGM held on

October 2019 were passed – nem con.

3. Matters arising – none

4. Chairman’s report, AGM for year 1 April 2019 – 31 March 2020 - Roger Lewis

We’re all a bit confused by Covid and our delayed AGM. I need to remind myself that we are reporting on the year as above – though the subsequent year to that has just been completed!

When we released our £50k for the NHLF project little did we know that a great deal more of our money would be needed for further roofing. We were soon to review our founding document to check that it is appropriate to contribute to such structural work. But this again is outside the year on which I am reporting.

I’ll cast my mind back and try to pick up from where we had got to at the last AGM (i.e. the one we held in October of 2019). The Secretary’s report (following this) will give you the detail of what we discussed and what we did.

We were able to run a full social programme in 2019-20 (not so, of course, for the subsequent year). The Programme Secretary will be reporting later in this AGM. This is

You will note that the end of the year on

40 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

a good point at which to thank Pam for that successful year (and for coping so well with the difficulties that followed – which included her own hospitalization though fortunately not associated with society’s current health problems and I’m glad to say that Pam is recovering from her operation). I also want to thank the other officers: Liz Grove (who is such an excellent membership secretary, always friendly, interested in members and who manages the maintenance and development of the database, and the mailings); John Phillips (the year under report would have been his first year back had he actually left!) and James Moore who always quietly and competently looks after our financial affairs). Thanks, too, to the members of the committee who are much engaged with what we do and in the future of our activities.

2019-20 saw us conclude the contract for the new Minster book with Scala (the publisher). The writing and illustrating, design and editing mostly took place in the following year, with the book becoming available just at the end of that year, in February 2021. I must thank Mervyn King for his inestimable help with all stages of the publication of this book.

The proposal to re-gild the clock face (mentioned in 2018-19) was given the goahead. The work was to have been carried out in spring/early summer of 2020 but for obvious reasons this was delayed; we are hoping the re-gilding will be undertaken this summer, pandemic permitting.

5. Hon Secretary’s Report . John Phillips

2019-2020 was a very busy year. In what follows I give only a summary of what has been discussed at the four meetings of our Friends’ Council. MAY 2019

£65,000 within the bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (due to be submitted at the end of the month) was earmarked

for the theme of Sanctuary. Scheduled to begin in March 2020 this would include the development of tours (ground and roof), a display, a revised version of the book on sanctuary, events, work with schools and the development of the churchyard as an open space.

The Council agreed to fund the Minster architect’s costs for developing the scheme to re-order the nave; the costs were projected at approximately £3,300 (plus VAT and expenses).

The Minster Lighting Fund informed the meeting that the decision had been taken to raise the cost of nights from May 2020. A contract for the Scala book on the Minster had been signed. AUGUST 2019

It was noted that the current Trustees of the Friends of Beverley Minster are Professor Roger Lewis, Mr John Phillips, Mr James Moore, Ms Liz Grove and Miss Pamela Martin. Membership matters were discussed, including methods of payment and the cost of fulfilling membership. It was agreed to revise and reprint the membership leaflet and to discontinue the membership of people who fail to pay their subscriptions after reminders.

‘Two churches one town’ had been set up initially as a ‘plc’ in July with the intention of apply for charitable status. Its purpose was to raise money for both the Minster (£9m needed for repairs to roof and windows and improvements to access, lighting and toilets) and St Mary’s (repairs to stonework and other improvements).

The Vicar reported on the proposal to reorder the nave. Concerns were expressed over approaching only one company for the furniture. Questions were raised about the dais and the permanence of the scheme. The estimated costs (£150,000 - £200,000) were noted as significantly higher than previous estimates, which had in themselves been a cause of concern. It was suggested that it would be helpful to have a range of

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 41

options for the scheme. The Council would await a more detailed proposal from the PCC, confirming that the only financial commitment to date was to fund the architect’s design costs (as agreed in May). Subscribers to the Lighting Fund had been informed that, to cover increased costs, lighting the Minster will increase to £25 per night from May 2020. The Council was reminded that the Lighting Fund is an independent body, although members of the Friends Council are its Trustees. The Lighting Fund will no longer be a permanent agenda item at Friends’ Council meetings; relevant issues will be discussed as required. NOVEMBER 2019

There was further discussion of the project to re-order the nave. The Vicar sought to address concerns voiced at the previous meeting, including the proposed use of only one architect and only one furniture design company. He pointed out that the Diocesan Advisory Committee recommends a ‘relationship of trust’ with a single architect, whose role includes advice on any major project, and that the use of one furniture designer would avoid delays occasioned by tender requirements. In discussion it was pointed out that the successful Minster shop project began with an architects’ competition and that the PCC’s own good practice in procurement required three tenders. The question was raised as to the priority of this re-ordering proposal with the PCC; a meeting with the architect later in the week should, clarify this. The PCC was not expecting to contribute to the costs of the project. Further design issues remain, including the dais and the positioning of the altar and frith stool. The Council confirmed its position as stated in August: to await a full proposal from the PCC.

Liz Grove reported that new Friends’ leaflets are available. She also confirmed that it is now proposed to send only two reminders to non-payers before terminating membership.

Mervyn King confirmed that Martin Kirby’s book on sanctuary would be available by Christmas 2020. He was thanked for his work on this. He also informed the meeting that the post of Sanctuary Learning Officer would be advertised in January 2020 and that work on the roof repairs to the lesser south transept was scheduled for March to October 2020.

Progress on restoring the clock face was reported. Mike Robson said a site meeting before Christmas would explore health and safety issues raised by the Surveyor. The Council confirmed its agreement to fund to the sum given in the Cumbria Clock Company quotation.

The Chairman suggested that drafts of the text for the Scala publication should be reviewed by Mr Deas, Mr Phillips, Prof. Wilton Ely and possibly other experts. Mike Robson enquired whether it would be possible to display the Percy funerary helmets previously on the brackets outside the chapel. There are also several 18th century funerary hatchments stored in the north-west tower which could be displayed. FEBRUARY 2020

An update on the progress of the Scala Publications book confirmed that the schedule had slipped due to the delay in receiving the author’s first draft. Steve George (PCC representative) reported that a PCC working group to prioritise capital projects had been set up. It was decided to form a Friends’ working group to review/reconfirm the Friends’ own priorities and consider these alongside the priorities emerging from the PCC. Mr Deas, Prof. Lewis, Mrs Anderson and Ms Cahill agreed to serve on this group.

John Phillips brought the meeting’s attention to a watercolour of the crossing in the Minster painted by William Gaunt (1900-1980) and presented to the Friends by Mrs Erica Symes. She had asked Friends to dispose of this as they wished. Mr Phillips suggested that the value was somewhere

between £80 and £120 based on auction records. Mr Robson offered to pay £120 and this was accepted by the Council.

6. Treasurer’s report. James Moore presented the Accounts from the Annual Report and answered questions.

7. Membership Secretary’s report (given by Roger Lewis on Liz Groves’ behalf.) Membership stood at 451 at the end of 2020. Work is in progress to update computer systems to allow and encourage members, new and existing, to pay subscriptions online, and by Standing Order.

The following members have passed away since the last report. Phil and Chris Dellar, Alan Bartlett, Peter Beynon, Rosemary Lewis, Bill Pugh, Alice Scott, Evelyn Wise.

8. Social Secretary’s report. Pamela Martin

In May 2019 34 people attended the Study Day given by Roger Willson, a day school of four lectures on the appreciation of stained glass.

In August 2019 there were four well attended tours. The first, given by Mike Robson – a tour and guide to the bells of the Minster which included some intrepid members trying to ring a bell, and access to the roofs between the two western towers. Peter Calvert gave a tour of the interior of the Minster which was a tour de force of anecdotes and little known facts about the details of the building. Jonathan Baker gave a fascinating tour of the interior entitled “Pews, Pulpits and Pilgrims.”

The coach tour in July to Ripon and Markenfield Hall was well attended and very successful. The AGM weekend began with the customary Dinner at Cerutti’s with the after dinner speech given by Canon Peter Wadsworth. The coach tour on Saturday was to Piece Hall, Halifax. On Sunday The St John Lecture was given by John Phillips, followed by tea and evensong in the Minster. 60 people attended the Epiphany organ recital

in January 2020 which was sponsored by the Friends.

Following Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 the planned social programme, Study Day in April, and a coach trip to Coverham and Jervaulx abbeys in the summer had to be cancelled. together with the AGM weekend and the Epiphany recital in January. It is hoped to reinstate these when restrictions permit.

9. Vicar’s Report.

Jonathan Baker spoke to the report as published in the Annual Report and answered questions.

10. Adoption of the reports.

A proposal to adopt the reports was proposed by Stephen Deas and seconded by Jayne Payne, and passed – nem con.

11. Elections.

Election of Officers.

It was decided to re-elect all Officers of the Council en bloc, proposed by Edward Openshaw, seconded by Gail Cahill, and approved unanimously.

Election of New Members of the Council. Three members were proposed to be added to the Council: Helena Anderson, Gail Cahill and Stephen Deas. These were proposed by John Phillips, seconded by Mervyn King, and elected nem con.

12. Any other business.

None

Thanks were expressed by Roger Lewis to Steve George for organising the Zoom meeting.

The meeting was followed by a talk by Professor Barbara English on the Translation of St John. A transcript is included on page 10.

Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021 43

42 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021

The Friends’ Annual Report is compiled by John Phillips, designed by Mervyn King and printed by Daltonspire Ltd.

Funded by the Friends, the Minster clock face is re-gilded.

44 Friends of Beverley Minster Annual Report 2021