Cathedral visitors to be charged

The cathedral was rebuilt following the city's bombing in 1940

Coventry Cathedral visitors are to be charged £5 from January next year.

A spokesman said the cathedral's governing body was finding it increasingly difficult to pay the £1.5m it gives every year to running costs.

Children under 10 will be free and students, OAPs and children over 10 will be charged £3.50.

Friends of the Cathedral and those wishing to pray or speak to a Chaplain will not be charged. There will be no charges on Sundays.

The Dean of Coventry, the Very Rev John Irvine, said the move to charge admission fees was "deeply regretted" by all.

'Safeguard future'

"Sadly, the income from our voluntary donation scheme falls well below the level needed to keep our magnificent cathedral running," he said.

"To safeguard our financial future, our cathedral chapter has taken timely action, and, as with many other cathedrals, admission fees provide the best opportunity to increase income."

The cathedral costs £4,080 per day in maintenance, upkeep and running costs and receives no local or national government funding.

A spokesman said by the end of 2009, 80,000 people will have visited the cathedral, leaving an average donation of £1.87 per visit.

Visitor numbers have been badly hit by the recession, he added.

During the last few years a number of churches have started to charge visitors, including Westminster Abbey, St Paul's and Canterbury Cathedral.

The current cathedral was rebuilt within the ruins of the former St Michael's church, which was devastated during the bombing of the city on 14 November, 1940, by the German Luftwaffe.