St George's Minster, Doncaster

The Minster and Parish Church of St George, Doncaster, also known as Doncaster Minster, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the Greater Churches.HistoryThe original 12th-century Norman building burnt down on the last day of February 1853. This fire resulted in the loss of the medieval library which was above the south porch.The current building was designed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1853 and constructed between 1854 and 1858 at a cost of £43,126 4s 5d. It was consecrated by the Archbishop of York on 14 October 1858It is one of Doncaster's most architecturally important buildings evidenced by its Grade I listing and was described by Sir John Betjeman as "Victorian Gothic at its very best". It was given minster status by the Bishop of Sheffield on 17 June 2004.Amongst its treasures are a clock by Dent (the designer of the Palace of Westminster Clock, more usually known as Big Ben) and a spectacular 5 manual organ by the renowned German organ builder Edmund Schulze (1824–1877).The minster has eight bells with a tenor of.Organs and organistsOrganists and choirmasters1862 Schulze OrganRising from the ashesThe medieval Parish Church of St George possessed a fine Harris organ of 1739–40. This instrument was praised by John Stanley, who declared “every pipe in the reed stops to be worth its weight in silver”. It grew from an original specification of some 24 stops to one of 51 stops and was reputed to be the largest organ in England except for York Minster, due to the efforts of Jeremiah Rogers (organist 1835–1879), who paid for much of the work himself. The organ had just been relocated from the west gallery to the chancel and its pedal extended to 32’ pitch, when it was consumed by fire, along with the entire building, on 28 February 1853.