York Minster Topping out Ceremony

The Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, Dean of York, lead a 'topping out' ceremony on the roof of York Minster's brand-new Heritage Quad.
Cathedrals are well-known for their revered traditions, but the ‘topping out’ of a new Heritage Quad, a new state of the art home for York Minster’s team of stonemasons and heritage craftspeople, is perhaps not the first that springs to mind.

Celebrating the placement of the highest beam in a new building, the ancient rite of topping out can be traced back as far back as the 7th century when Scandinavians would place a tree atop a completed building to appease the tree gods of surrounding habitats.
The Heritage Quad is part of the Minster’s ground-breaking Neighbourhood Plan, which is transforming the Minster Precinct to face the challenges of the 21st century. As well as providing state of the art workspaces for the Minster’s masons, the Heritage Quad will include accommodation for apprentices, rooftop solar panels, and rainwater capture systems.