York Gets another Cat Statue

Gerald was a striking Bengal cat who used to roam freely around the Minster precincts in York.

Gerald, Cathedral cat of York

When he passed away in Autumn 2020, a crowdfunding campaign was started to create a permanent memorial to Gerald. This target was reached and surpassed within a matter of days!

Click here to read our previous article about Gerald.

It's been a long wait to see Gerald permanently on display, but on 6th May 2022, a quiet ceremony took place outside Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate as Gerald was unveiled in his new permanent location.

Gerald was unveiled by Julian Norton, known to millions as the star of the long running TV series, The Yorkshire Vet.

Gerald's sculpture being unveiled by Julian Norton, The Yorkshire Vet

Others in attendance included (from left to right) Justine Spencer, Gerald's owner, York's current Lord Mayor/Lady Mayoress, Gerald's sculptor, Antony Bartyla and Ben Fry, York's Town Crier, who set the scene for the brief unveiling ceremony. 

Celebrities and media were in attendance at Gerald's unveiling

We think Gerald's statue will be a welcome surprise to the many visitor's to the Grade I Listed Holy Trinity Goodramgate. Aside from its age, Holy Trinity is known particularly for its box pews. It's Wikipedia page is worth a read, especially for the connection to LGBT history.

Gerald is given a special mention in the brand new 2022 Cat Trail leaflet, sponsored by The Cat Gallery. He isn't able to form part of the official Trail because Holy Trinity, Goodramgate is gated and only open to the public for a relatively limited time each day (all the other cats on the Trail are visible from the public highway, 24 hours a day). The picture below of current opening hours was taken in May 2022.

Holy Trinity Goodramgate, opening hours

Nonetheless, we would highly recommend a visit to Holy Trinity Goodramgate, for a highly palatable mix of history, architecture and cat memorial. At The Cat Gallery, we are delighted to welcome Gerald to the growing list of cat statues in York.