Entrance fees keep cathedrals from crumbling

SIR – I am a supporter and friend of Canterbury Cathedral, whose entrance fees Henry Maj criticises (“Cathedrals that are fleecing the faithful”, Letters, August 22).

One can, of course, access the cathedral free of charge for morning and evening services – and prayer time is not dependent on being in a place of worship.

Britain’s wonderful ecclesiastical heritage cannot be maintained entirely by contributions from the shrinking number of churchgoers. The alternative to raising money is decline.

Mr Maj rightly notes the free access to church buildings in Europe, but many are now also having to charge in order to fund maintenance and restoration, as they too experience a squeeze on government support. Dr Peter Sander

Hythe, Kent

SIR – You report (August 19) that entrance fees have resulted in a 27.8 per cent fall in the numbers of visitors to Westminster Abbey. However, our records for paying visitors have shown a remarkable consistency over recent years. In the year of the Olympics (2011-12), we welcomed nearly 1.27 million paying visitors. Since then, we have received each year between 1.1 and 1.2 million.

So far in 2017, with five weeks still to go before the end of our financial year, our numbers are 14.5 per cent above our visitor numbers for last year. We expect the total by the end of our year to be well over 1.2 million. The numbers of those attending services at the abbey have remained strong.

Tourism is thriving in London. Visitor numbers are always difficult to predict, and the present strength is unlikely to continue indefinitely. However, it is not the case that the attraction and popularity of this major church are in any way in decline. Sir Stephen Lamport

Receiver General, Westminster Abbey London SW1