Over the years, I have visited York Minster many times. And I always see something unexpected, like this chap on the left. It seems uniquely appropriate that a creature such as this should be restrained by fencing in the Stonemasons’ Yard.
The wide-eyed creature with pointed ears clutches his head while a frog crawls out from under its sharply pointed teeth. During medieval times, frogs represented demons. And demons, as people knew then, were fallen angels.
This particular frog’s eviction doesn’t necessarily seem voluntary, but the frog appears to experience less pain than its host.
The creature’s body has a humanoid appearance. In its left hand, the creature holds a fish, a medieval symbol of Christianity. The sculpture’s message might be that Christ has evicted the creature’s demons.
The next question a viewer might have is who, or what, this unhappy creature is. The statue is what is known as a grotesque, a word Dictionary.com translates as an ugly, or comically distorted figure, creature or image. If the sculpture contained a drainage spout, it would be called a gargoyle.
This particular grotesque was designed to replace a statue on one of the York Minister buttresses that has been worn down by wind and rain. The original carving is how a shapeless blob of stonework. Its condition might be even worse than the illustration at right.
In recreating the creature, Lewis Morrison selected the theme of good and evil: frog and fish. He and his associates hand-carved the half-ton figure from 1,510 pounds of local limestone that was probably taken from a quarry near Tadcaster.
Once in place, no one on the ground will be able to see this mythical creature as it stands, a silent sentinel of cosmic struggle.
There has been a Stonemasons’ Yard at York Minster since the 18th century. The work of restoration is a never-ending and expensive process supported by individual, private and public donations. The present stoneyard established in 1914, is being transformed into a Center for Excellence.
The Doom Stone
The York Minster grotesques seem almost benign in comparison to the Doom Stone, presently housed in the crypt.
The stone dates back to the 12th century Norman period. The figures are difficult to see. The limestone has eroded, and the paint is reduced to small chips. It may be part of a larger sculpture, or perhaps not.
Whatever its original intent, the Doom Stone is about the pathway to damnation. The man in the upper left carries bags of money to symbolize greed.
The well-dressed woman in the upper right personifies lust. All the figures are being pushed into a cauldron at a lower level of hell. The cauldron itself is supported by two demons and two devils. At the bottom, toads clean the nostrils of a central face.
External Grotesques & Gargoyles
A plethora of grotesques decorate York Minster’s exterior.
Female and male, they sit on the exterior edges in contemplation.
A craftsman emerges from the stone with his chisel.
A snake appears to be wrapped around this man who may be consuming something he shouldn’t.
The last picture in our gallery is an intricately carved couple lounging above 17th century funerary monuments. The viewer can see the woman’s facial expression, her intricate hairstyle, her jewelry and fashionable clothing. Sadly, her partner appears to have “lost his head;” the woman appears to be grasping at his cowl. He, too, is well-dressed, wearing his sword on his right side and dagger on his left. Who were they? Where did the gentleman leave his head? And why did the woman keep her head while the man lost his? Alas, it is unlikely we’ll ever know.
[Note: Many statues in the nave lost their heads during the 16th century reformation. But this carving is in the north quire aisle.]
COMING SOON!
The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch
Illustrations & A Few Sources
All Photos by Author. Roff Smith. “Here’s How You Sculpt a Medieval Statue in the 21st Century.” National Geographic. Feb. 4, 2025. Tim Barber. “York Minster’s Sinister Doomstone.” Real Yorkshire Blog. Sept. 23, 2022.