The West front of York Minster will be free of unsightly scaffolding by the new Millennium - but restoration work never finishes on the splendid Gothic cathedral.

And it will next be the turn of the East end, where a major refurbishment of the stonework is needed to keep the building in good repair.

The work, which will start just after the completion of work on the North West Tower in 1999, is expected to take a number of years - well into the new Millennium.

But it is not yet known exactly what work will be carried out, as plans are still at an early stage.

Stephen Mills, superintendent of works at the Minster, said: "The work will involve masonry at high levels which is due largely to stone erosion. We will also be looking at the buttresses and parapets of the Chapter House."

Surveys are being carried out by the Minster's new surveyor, Richard Carr-Archer, who is monitoring stones to decide which ones need restoring.

Minster officials are keen for the works to go ahead, as they want to avoid a repeat of the 1986 incident where eroded masonry fell on Deansgate. It resulted in scaffolding being put up at the South West Tower.

This prompted repairs to be made to the Great West Door, the principal entrance to the cathedral, which was so damaged that it was decided that it should be replaced entirely with newly-carved stone. The new door was unveiled last month by the Duke of York. The current focus of work is on the North West tower and doorway, both of which have suffered very badly from erosion with most of their fine detailed carving missing.

See FEATURES Picture of the Week for a view of how York Minster will look without scaffolding

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