A report by George Lapshynov and Nathan Mladin exploring the role of cathedrals in modern life.
England’s 42 Anglican cathedrals are not simply places of Christian worship but are among the country’s most remarkable institutions. They are centres of civic life, beacons in their communities, and sanctuaries of stillness in a world of incessant noise and constant change. Worship remains foundational to their identity and purpose and is the centre from which their many other functions flow. Cathedrals run outreach programmes, educate schoolchildren, stage world–class music and art, mark the civic calendar, and hold space for communal grief and celebration.
They are among the most visited heritage sites in the country, contributing hundreds of millions of pounds to local economies, mobilising thousands of volunteers and sustaining thousands of jobs.
They are also, for many, places of unhurried spiritual exploration. In a country where fewer than half the population identifies as Christian, cathedrals remain spaces where stillness, beauty and wonder can gently draw the spiritually open toward an experience of the sacred.
In the years since our first major exploration of English Anglican cathedrals, in a report titled Spiritual Capital, cathedrals have changed in remarkable ways. They have professionalised their management and operations, diversified their revenue, expanded their events programmes, invested in digital communications, deepened their partnerships with local institutions, and broadened the range of people who cross their thresholds. They have survived a pandemic that drastically reduced visitor numbers and prompted the furloughing of most of their staff. They have adapted to a major overhaul of their governance under the Cathedrals Measure in 2021.
Yet the resources that sustain this work are stretched thin. Cathedrals depend financially on the Church of England, through the Church Commissioners, as well as a patchwork of commercial revenue, charitable giving, and lottery grants to maintain ancient buildings, pay staff, and deliver the services that communities have come to expect of them. The gap between what cathedrals contribute and the support they need is widening. Drawing on a nationally representative YouGov poll, a separate survey of over 1,300 cathedral visitors, and qualitative fieldwork involving 146 interviewees across six representative cathedrals, this report examines the social, cultural and spiritual contribution of cathedrals. It traces how cathedrals are changing, and what pressures they face, ultimately calling for greater recognition, both financial and societal, of cathedrals’ status as civic, cultural, and spiritual assets.
About the data
Living Stones draws on a nationally representative YouGov poll of over 1,800 adults in England and a survey of over 1,300 cathedral visitors.
If you’re curious, we’ve linked our data sets below.
Erratum: Earlier versions of this report contained a typographical error. On pages 9 and 78, the figure should read 74% (not 77%), consistent with the chart in the report and the underlying data.
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