Tower House School Sponsors Stones

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by Eleanor Course

Local boys from Putney & their class mates from Tower House School have raised nearly £1,900 to help the restoration of York Minster’s East Front. The money will be spent in sponsoring three stones, which will replace decayed stones.

Every April for the past six years, Tower House School pupils from Year 5 (aged nine to ten) have visited York on a four-day trip, and learned about the Minster. The pupils have a teaching session with the Minster’s Centre for School Visits to learn how the Cathedral was built, a tour of the Minster, and then the pupils attend Evensong.

Tower House School teacher Mandy Lamplough said, “The trips to York Minster have been highlights of the visits and it was decided that the School would like to repay in part the kindness and hospitality received by the pupils at this historic site. Supporting the Development Campaign and the restoration of the East Front seemed the ideal opportunity.”

A sponsored run and continuous walk for 45 minutes took place on 27th March in Richmond Park, in conjunction with the School’s house cross-country competitions for Years 4 to 8. Mr Ben Peyton, Deputy Head and one of the organisers, commented before the event, “It would be tremendous if we could reach our target and Tower House could purchase a stone for York Minster.”

The pupils not only reached their target, but also tripled it, and on Thursday 27th April Tower House School will visit the Minster and the Stoneyard to present the cheque for £1,899.72, and see where their stones will be carved. At least 2,500 stones in the East Front need to be replaced, and these stones can be sponsored for £10 a month for 5 years, or £5 a month for 10 years.

The restoration of the East Front will be the major project at the Minster for the next 10 years. The East Front features the magnificent Great East Window, which is the biggest single expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. Some of the East Front stonework has not been repaired since it was built in the early fifteenth century, and needs extensive work. Some high level masonry has become unsafe and needs securing, and widespread erosion of the stonework means that many of the stones will have to be replaced.

May 2, 2006