Cathedrals Too Dear

‘‘Exorbitant’ ticket fees turn England’s cathedrals into cash cows’, shouts the Daily Telegraph’s Senior Money Writer, Joe Wright. A list of admission charges are cited, the co-worst being St Paul’s in London (above):

St Paul's Cathedral: £26

York Minster: £26

Oxford Christ Church Cathedral: £24 (includes access to Oxford Christ Church site)

Canterbury Cathedral: £21 (£19.50 on weekdays April to September, or £18 October to March)

Ely Cathedral: £14

Wells Cathedral: £14

Winchester Cathedral: £13.50

Lincoln Cathedral: £12 (£10 on Sundays)

Salisbury Cathedral: £11

Exeter Cathedral: £10

Bendor Grosvenor, the art historian and TV presenter, calls for these 'exorbitant' fees to be rethought:

“St Peter’s in Rome has people queuing around the block to get in, but they would never charge for it. We’ve kind of persuaded ourselves that our cathedrals are just spaces.”

I love cathedrals, and I am pleased that Durham's this week was free, but what function do they actually perform? Rarely is it gospel preaching and Christ-sharing. Many are just museums, concert venues or glorious purveyors of tourist tat. Like the denomination that owns them, they want money, but seemingly neglect to share the incalculable riches of Christ with the hundreds of thousands who walk through the doors each year. What is the verdict of the Lord Jesus, who once drove money-changers from the Temple with a whip? Beware, Cathedral Deans and Chapters.