North Yorkshire Police is investigating an incident at York Minster which damaged historic masonry and other parts of the grade-1 listed building.

Police investigate damage to York Minster after two men climb scaffolding and vandalise the building

Officers believe some video footage may have been shared online and are asking anyone who has seen it to get in touch.

Two men are believed to have been involved in the incident, which happened on Friday, 31 July between 1.30am and 5am.

The suspects entered the West End Gardens in the early hours of the morning and used ladders to climb the scaffolding of the North West Tower.

They threw items from the scaffolding area then continued onto the roof, causing damage to property including removing access doors to the tower.

Police believe they threw a small entrance door off the roof which has hit a gargoyle, breaking the masonry causing the gargoyle to fall to the ground.

CCTV shows that at 4.55am both men climbed down from the scaffolding, and one appeared to be videoing the gargoyle on the ground before leaving the scene, climbing over the locked fence and headed in the direction of Ogleforth at 5am.

A police investigation is ongoing. We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

In particular, we are appealing for information about possible sightings of both men involved and any online footage which may have been shared by those involved.

The first man is described is white, wearing a black tracksuit with a blue baseball cap, black trainers with a white sole. He is in his late teens or early twenties.

The second man is described as white, wearing a dark hooded top, black tracksuit bottoms, black trainers with white socks and is a similar age to the first.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Claire-Louise Viney. You can also email PC Viney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200130805.