Record high for cathedral visitors and worshippers

Church ‘proud’ at 10pc increase in year

THE NATION’S fascination with cultural heritage looks to be in good health after the Church of England released its highest visitor and worshipper numbers on record.

Cathedrals hosted nearly 10m visitors in 2018, an increase of more than 10 per cent on the previous year. Third Estates Commissioner, Dr Eve Poole, who leads the Church of England’s Cathedrals Support Group, praised staff and volunteers at places of faith such as York Minster for work in promoting the buildings across the country.

She said: “The story behind these encouraging figures is of cherished buildings led by armies of dedicated staff and volunteers, who each year tell afresh in words, worship, music and light, the stories enshrined in these stones, which are the stories of our nation too.”

Major Christian festivals such as Easter and Christmas were at the heart of congregational growth, while cathedrals also pulled in people attending services for the centenary of the armistice of the First World War.

Bradford, Ripon, Sheffield and Wakefield Cathedrals, as well as York Minster, were among the 42 buildings from which the Church of England collected data.

CATHEDRALS IN England have enjoyed their highest numbers of visitors and congregations since records began, new research shows.

Such places of worship hosted nearly 10m visitors in 2018, an increase of more than 10 per cent on the previous year.

Church of England data released today was collected from all 42 mainland cathedrals including those in Bradford, Ripon, Sheffield, Wakefield and York Minster. Westminster Abbey, although it is a Royal Peculiar, not a cathedral, also took part.

Third Estates Commissioner Dr Eve Poole, who leads the Church of England’s Cathedrals Support Group, said: “We are proud that our cathedrals are a precious resource not only for the church but for the nation as well. We know from countless anecdotes that many who visit as tourists encounter something deeper, and cathedrals have been imaginative in creating more opportunities for people from all walks of life to cross their thresholds.

“The story behind these enMajor couraging figures is of cherished buildings led by armies of dedicated staff and volunteers, who each year tell afresh in words, worship, music and light, the stories enshrined in these stones, which are the stories of our nation too.”

Christian festivals remain at the heart of congregational growth, with 58,000 people attending a cathedral at Easter and 95,000 during Holy Week – the highest numbers recorded for a decade, with Easter attendance up nearly 10,000 since 2008.

Meanwhile numbers at Christmas and Advent services rose five per cent on the previous year to reach 750,000 in 2018.

There were 133,000 people worshipping in cathedrals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – second only to the previous year’s record high.

Cathedrals reported a total of 37,000 people worshipping each week in the year 2018, marking an increase of around 14 per cent over the past ten years. Around one in five cathedral worshippers was under the age of 16, also an increase on the previous year.

Attendance at midweek services grew 34 per cent in the 10 years to 2018, with nearly 19,000 turning out each week. More people attended midweek services than on Sunday for only the second time since records began.

Music in cathedrals continues to flourish with 2,000 full-time choristers, while Remembrance services also drew people in.