Are the moneychangers back in the temple?
Today Wells Cathedral will start to charge visitors from outside the city an entry fee. We look at why and how the charges Wells will be making compare with other cathedrals in the West Country
Dear readers
Today’s edition of Somerset Confidential® is for our paying subscribers. Much of what we do we think of as a public service. But we still have bills to pay. And as we strive to do more, we have even more bills to pay. You take the point?
We think there is a lot to do. Today’s article clearly demonstrates that. If you’d like to help us do it you can do so here:
So as well as our free service we offer a paid subscription which costs £30 a year. That’s 58p a week, less than the price of a cheap load of bread.
For that you get:
3 extra articles a month
The chance to have your say, to comment argue and debate our articles
full access to our back catalogue (it is getting bigger every week)
and the satisfaction of supporting one of Somerset’s most innovative journalism projects.
We like to think of it like this. Support us – and you are supporting a better governed Somerset. You can join and support us here….
Thank you
Andrew Lee - editor
Are the moneychangers back in the temple?
Matthew Chapter 21 v12-13: “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
Today Wells Cathedral will start charging for admission. Tickets to enter the building will cost £14 for an adult, although those under the age of 18 will still be able to enter for free.
As is the case with other cathedrals, Wells will operate a scheme for people living within the boundary of the City of Wells allowing them to enter the cathedral free.
The authorities state that: “There will never be a charge for people who wish to come into the Cathedral to pray, attend a service or light a candle; everyone is welcome." Worthy, but one wonders how that would work in practise?
The reasoning we are told is due to the escalating costs of maintaining the building. The Dean and Chapter claim that the daily maintenance costs for Wells Cathedral have reached “a staggering £4,500.”
A spokesperson for the Cathedral explained: "It is our responsibility to maintain and care for Wells Cathedral and all it offers to the community for future generations.”
Which begs the question, how are our cathedrals, some of the finest and oldest elements of our built heritage, actually funded?
The Association of English Cathedrals, a group that speaks collectively for English cathedrals says that: “The Cathedrals of the Church of England receive limited funding from the church and government and rely on donations, legacies and grants as well as the income they can generate for themselves – and yet they include UNESCO World Heritage sites, many are Grade 1 listed.”
Cathedrals are independent from the central institutions of the Church of England and from dioceses. They are run by the Cathedral Chapter headed by the Dean. Cathedrals raise the funds necessary for them to fulfil their role as places of worship and mission (involving maintaining their buildings, supporting those in liturgical roles, clergy, musicians and lay staff, and enabling the cathedral buildings to be open to all every day of the year) from a variety of sources including:
legacies,
congregational giving
income from visitors,
sums generated by trading activities,
income from investments and property (for those cathedrals with such assets),
monies donated in response to appeals and fundraising activity, and
grants from the Church Commissioners.
The Dean and Chapter of Wells have actually made a decent fist of things of late. The latest accounts (to 31 December 2022) show a surplus of £121,688.