Cathedral fee may be banned

Spectacular cathedral may open for free

Lincoln Cathedral could soon be forced to drop its entrance fee.

The Church of England is considering introducing legislation to ban all cathedrals from levying a charge.

Lincoln is among 10% of cathedrals that charge tourists for entering - others include St. Paul's, Canterbury, and Salisbury.

Now the Church of England is considering banning such charges, and members of the Synod are being urged to bring forward legislation to "reinforce" the principle of free access.

Architectural merit

Mr Sutcliffe, from the Southwark Diocese, is putting forward the motion.

He said cathedrals' freedom to choose whether or not to charge has undesirable consequences.

He claimed it turned architectural merit into a marketable commodity.

His motion will be debated by the General Synod later this month.

Lincoln Cathedral currently charges visitors £3.50 each with 250,000 touring the site each year.