Controversy over English cathedrals' high entrance fees
The Church of England appealed to the Government yesterday for substantial funds for its ancient cathedrals so they can be better exploited as tourist attractions during the 2012 Olympic Games.
The appeal came after mounting criticism by members of the public about the "outrageous" entrance fees being charged by a number of cathedrals.
Daily Telegraph readers quoted Jesus's expulsion of the money lenders in support of their objections to the fees, which are now mandatory at four cathedrals, including St Paul's in London and Westminster Abbey.
In a letter to the newspaper yesterday, one reader contrasted the fees at St Paul's, where a family ticket costs £22.50, with the free entry to the Tate Modern nearby. "The cathedral is supposed to be a place of worship, a national masterpiece of architecture, yet my children were denied entry because of a money-making scheme," she said.
"When Jesus expelled the merchants from the Temple, he said, 'My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves'."
Other cathedrals, such as Salisbury, suggest a sum to be donated, but visitors often say that they feel intimidated by staff near the entrance.
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The appeal came after mounting criticism by members of the public about the "outrageous" entrance fees being charged by a number of cathedrals.
Daily Telegraph readers quoted Jesus's expulsion of the money lenders in support of their objections to the fees, which are now mandatory at four cathedrals, including St Paul's in London and Westminster Abbey.
In a letter to the newspaper yesterday, one reader contrasted the fees at St Paul's, where a family ticket costs £22.50, with the free entry to the Tate Modern nearby. "The cathedral is supposed to be a place of worship, a national masterpiece of architecture, yet my children were denied entry because of a money-making scheme," she said.
"When Jesus expelled the merchants from the Temple, he said, 'My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves'."
Other cathedrals, such as Salisbury, suggest a sum to be donated, but visitors often say that they feel intimidated by staff near the entrance.