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Cool Place of the Day: Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire

Every day, a new place to discover or explore in the UK, from coolplaces.co.uk

Jules Brown
Tuesday 19 April 2016 10:37 BST
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Beverley Minster: Extraordinary medieval carvings
Beverley Minster: Extraordinary medieval carvings

One of Europe's finest Gothic churches, Beverley Minster dominates the town of Beverley in East Yorkshire, and is one of many excellent reasons to visit what is an ancient and rather under-rated market town. The Minster is bigger than many UK cathedrals and one of the country’s most significant Gothic masterpieces. It's stunning inside, with a hugely graceful nave with marble columns and a 14th-century canopied tomb of the Percy family that's considered one of the finest medieval tombs in the country.

But the real treasures here are the extraordinary medieval carvings of minstrels – over 70 of them, and probably the largest such collection anywhere in the world. They're a joy to discover (you'll have to look both high and low in the church), with the wood and stone minstrels sporting bagpipes, fiddles, flutes, drums, lutes, cymbals and tamborines – no surprise that Beverley was an important centre for music in the middle ages.

To know more, ask one of the assistants – they're usually happy to help as long as there's no service or event scheduled. Or join one of the tours, of the interior or the roof, which take around an hour. The roof tour is especially good, getting you up close to some of the church’s fabulous stained glass.

Cool Places is a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)

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