The ceiling
Not exactly as picturesque as the Sistine Chapel York Minster's ceiling still offers some interest to visitors. Each set of stained glass windows were sponsored by rich benefactors or wealthy guilds. The bellmakers, bakers and butchers all contributed unique stained glass collections. The big gold thing jutting out from the wall is the "Dragon Head". No one is exactly certain what it was used for but the most common explanation is that a rope or chain hung down from it in order to lift a baptismal font's cover. To me the most interesting aspect of the ceiling is the variety of geometric curves and angles that you can see in this picture. This is typical of Gothic cathedrals, but in York it almost becomes extreme.
Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the ear... ... read more 
