A new intake of grotesques was installed at York Minster this week, to much fanfare. The Very Revd Vivienne Faull, Dean of the Minster, said: ‘It’s always special to welcome new members of the chapter as they bring their gifts and experience to the work of the Minster.’
The new grotesques, some weighing as much as half a ton, are replacing several old members of the team, who have been frightening visitors to the Minster for what seems like several centuries. Many of the old grotesques are now completely decrepit, and the hope is that the replacements will bring a renewed sense of the ridiculous to York Minster.
Dean Vivienne Faull (a much-loved gargoyle pointed out to tourists as ‘Vicious Viv’) has been scaring staff of the Minster for many years, and will probably go on doing so for generations to come.
Lead us not into augmentation