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It is 6.15am in the morning and the alarm clock goes off. ‘Oh no, I managed to set my clock wrong again.’ Brain at this point starts to work and you remember about the Ascension Day service on top of the Minster, and that this is why you are getting up in the middle of the night! (Well, it is for most students.) Meeting at Vanbrugh porters for 6.45am, we all walked down to the Minster. Well some of us did, as of the group of six I was in that were walking down only two of us arrived by foot! Yes — the other four got a lift part way down.
Arriving at the Minster I was surprised to see so many people, there must have been about what 60? people I would have thought. At this point my nerves were really on edge as I am both afraid of heights, and small places, as I believed that the stairs up to the top were going to be narrow. After chatting to a few friends we were finally allowed in and moved across the Minster towards the tower. I saw a sign saying that there are 275 steps all the way to the top. Now being an engineer I suspected that they had probably made a mistake so I decided to count them and give all the readers the actual number!
After taking a few steps up the staircase I realised how narrow the place was, and I suddenly realised that I could no longer back out — I had to go up as people were already behind me. I managed to calm myself by counting the number of steps and before I knew it we were on the top! I then suddenly realised that we had only made it half way and I was now standing on the edge of a roof half way to the top. At this point I held rather tightly to the handrail, and inched my way along. I caused a rather long tailback but I was making progress. (Ask anyone who was behind me!)
Before long we had made it to the other tower and were on the roof of the Minster. I thanked the Lord for giving me the help I needed to get to the top. On top we had a few moments to have a look around. Before long the service began. The musicians were brilliant, and the service was not very long. John Robertson’s comment about how many people looked up, really did make me think. As people on earth we seem to spend all our time looking downwards, towards the earth rather than upwards. You see — all the Disciples looked up when Jesus finally ascended to heaven, but we were all looking down at the surrounding countryside! After the service, a mention of breakfast, then I realised that I was feeling a little hungry, I think that after making it to the top I had forgotten about it. The descent was much more pleasant and I even decided to let go of the handrail on the way down at one point! We then all trundled off to the College of York and Ripon St. John to their Chapel for breakfast. After this was a huge rush to University for lectures!
We were all really lucky, as the weather was lovely that day, as I may have thought twice about going up in the rain. Oh yes — about the number of steps. I make it 273 as two of the steps go down on to the roof on the way up, so it depends upon your definition of steps whether you say 275 or 273. I suppose if you want to boast about how many steps you climbed say 275, but if you are trying to get some along next year say, “Come on, it is only 273!”
If you didn’t come this year, why not? If I can make it, so could you! (There is always next year, though!)
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Last modified: 25th November 2005