The West Front of St. Andrew’s Old Church is the centrepiece of our heritage site and forms one third of the Gothick architecture of Bishopthorpe Palace, the other two parts being the Palace Gatehouse and the Main Front of the Palace itself.
The decaying West Front
In 1998 when the Trust took over responsibility for the site, the West Front was a dangerous structure and had been fenced off by Bishopthorpe Parish Council in the interests of public safety. Unsafe stonework had been removed (technically this was illegal under planning law) and there followed a protracted row over who should take responsibility for the upkeep of this endangered monument. Amidst much hand-wringing and buck-passing the Trust was formed, independently of church or local authority involvement, with the aim of preserving and protecting this unique site for the benefit of the public.
Despite the success in rescuing the West Front from probable terminal decline, the intervening two decades have not been kind to the structure. Measures taken twenty years ago were effective at the time, but atmospheric pollution that turns rainwater into a weak acid continues to decay the stonework and cause progressive erosion of the building. This damage is reaching a critical point; it is not yet irreversible but the costs of protecting and restoring the stonework are significant, and will continue to mount the longer these protective measures are delayed.
So this is why the Trust urgently needs to raise funds now, in order to stabilise the damage done and protect the building from further decay. If we are unable to take prompt action it is quite likely that the structure would again be pronounced as ‘dangerous’ and this time it might not be possible to save it.