CHILDREN can learn more about how medieval stonemasons designed and built York Minster following the opening of a replica Mason's Lodge.

The lodge was opened yesterday at the Minster's Centre for School Visits, at St William's College.

Its centrepiece is a replica plaster tracing floor, which is based on the medieval floor above the Minster's Chapter House vestibule and shows the design of one of the windows.

The floor will be used to explain the process of setting out using dividers, tools, templates and stones.

Many of the stones used in the construction of York Minster were set out in drawings at a scale of one to one.

These drawings were then used to produce templates, which in turn were used by stonemasons to produce the individual pieces for the Minster.

The Centre for School Visits is not open to the public, but looks after all children's groups visiting the Minster.

It has a staff of three teachers and an administrator and was visited by 40,000 children in the last academic year.

Topics taught range from the Minster as a place of worship to Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in Britain.