Doncaster Minster

The original 13th-century Early English building burnt down on the last day of February 1853.^[3] This fire resulted in the loss of the medieval library which was above the south porch.^[4] The old church had some Norman remnants left over in the walls from the church previous to that, which also burnt down at the start of the 13th century.^[5]

The current building was designed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1853, and the foundation stone was laid by the Archbishop of York Thomas Musgrave on 24 February 1854.^[6] Construction took between 1854 and 1858 at a cost of £43,126 4s 5d.^[3] It was consecrated by the Archbishop of York on 14 October 1858.^[7] Nikolaus Pevsner described the church as the "..proudest and most cathedral-like of this fabulously busy and successful architect's parish churches."^[8] The church is laid out like a "massive cruciform" and has a central Perpendicular tower which reaches 170 feet (52 m);^[9] the rest of the church is in the Decorated style.^[10] The church extends to 169 feet (52 m) in length and is 65 feet (20 m) wide in the nave including the aisles.^[11]

A time capsule was placed underneath the church containing documents, coins and other artefacts of the time. A vellum sheet was included with the names of various benefactors, the churchwardens and the clergy.^[12]

One of the quirks of the old church that was carried on into the new building, was the ringing of the church bells during St Leger race at Doncaster Racecourse. The Reverend Vaughan ceased this tradition in the first year that the race was held during his tenure by locking the tower and going for a walk.^[13]

The Minster is one of Doncaster's most architecturally important buildings evidenced by its Grade I listing^[2] and was described by Sir John Betjeman as "Victorian Gothic at its very best". It was given minster status as the Minster and Parish Church of St George by the Bishop of Sheffield on 17 June 2004.^[14] It is an active place of worship with regular services and is also used for civic services, arts events and other celebrations.^[15] The Minster is a member of the Major Churches Network, successor to the Greater Churches Network.^[16]

Amongst its treasures are a clock by Dent (the designer of the Palace of Westminster Clock, more usually known as Big Ben)^[3] and a spectacular five-manual organ by the renowned German organ builder Edmund Schulze (1824–1877).

The minster has eight bells with a tenor of 29 long cwt 2 qr 17 lb (3,321 lb or 1,506 kg).^[17] The tower was repaired between 1925 and 1926 at a cost of £2,000, allowing the bells to ring again after being silent for a year.^[18]

• John Sharpe: 1817 to 1860^[19][20][21]
• Charles John Vaughan: 1860 to 1869^[22][23]
• Francis Pigou: 1869 to 1875^[24][25]
• Edward Carr Glyn: 1875 to 1878^[25][26]
• Charles Sisum Wright: 1878 to 1886^[26][27][28]
• Henry Tebbutt: 1886 to 1894^[29][30]
• John Nathaniel Quirk: 1901 to 1905 ^[31]
• F.G. Sandford: 1905 to 1928^[32]
• Richard Brook: 1928 to 1935^[33]
• Michael James Jackson: 1969 to 1973^[34]
• Geoffrey Lawn: 1974 to 1982^[35]
• John Bird: 1982 to 1985^[36]
• Christopher Smith: 2002 to 2010^[37]
• Paul Shackerley: 2010 to 2014^[38]
• David Stevens: 2015 to 2024^[39]

• 
  The font
• 
  The chancel
• 
  The nave
• 
  The pulpit

• Grade I listed buildings in South Yorkshire
• Listed buildings in Doncaster (Town Ward)
• List of new churches by George Gilbert Scott in Northern England
• Mary Frances Heaton (1801–1878), who insulted Rev. John Sharpe, for which she was in 1837 committed to an insane asylum and never released