Cathedrals report record attendance, thanks to Armistice centenary commemorations

Cathedrals are reporting a record rise in attendance, according to the latest statistics, following a bumper year of Armistice centenary commemorations.

The Church of England has today released annual figures revealing that the country’s cathedrals have seen a record number of visitors and worshippers.

The report shows that there were almost ten million visitors in 2018 - equating to a rise of more than 10% or around one million more compared compared to the previous year. There were also 1.2 million visitors to Westminster Abbey alone.

The latest data comes amid reports that places of worship are struggling to entice congregants through their doors, resulting in falling attendance figures.

This has resulted in a string of accusations that Cathedrals are using gimmicks to boost visitor numbers, prompting allegations that they are “treating God like a tourist attraction” by installing the likes of a helter skelter, crazy golf course and ice rink in various institutions across the country.

Last year’s Cathedral Statistics showed that church attendances continued to fall across the UK, with the average weekly number of adults and children going to Sunday service declining by 15% from 2008 to 2018.

However the Church of England said that Cathedrals continue to play a “key civic role” in society, and credited various Remembrance services drawing in additional numbers for the centenary of the First World War Armistice.

In Spring 2018 over 196,000 people visited Hereford Cathedral to see Poppies: Weeping Window, an exhibition by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper featuring poppies previously seen at the Tower of London.

Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford, described the event as being of great significance. He said: “The reactions of the many thousands, young and old, were as varied as the locations they travelled from, but a common experience seems to be one of remembrance, thanksgiving, regret and beauty,” he said.

Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield and Chair of the Association of English Cathedrals, described the latest statistics as pleasing, but warned against complacency.

“We continue to try and find ways that offer spiritual nurture and hospitality to people who have never had much contact with the Church or with organised religion,” he said.

“There is a place for a creative interpretation of big events and anniversaries - whether that’s the Armistice, Easter, Advent or the Moon Landing - and by opening up our great sacred spaces for such encounters, it opens up opportunities for new conversations and new dialogues; it welcomes, it challenges, it engages our communities and allows us to reach new audiences and that says something about cathedrals being a place for all, and a place for fresh encounter."

Today’s report also shows that England’s cathedrals have reported their highest Easter congregation numbers in recent years. In 2018, there was a total attendance rate of 58,000 for Easter services. In 2017 this figure was 52,000 and in 2016 it was 53,000. Back in 2008 however, there was a total attendance rate of just 49,000 for Easter.

Norwich Cathedral witnessed an increase of 65 per cent in Easter and Holy Week worshippers between 2014-18, with nearly 4,500 worshippers attending last year. Dean of Norwich, Jane Hedges, welcomed the trend, saying: “We are delighted that an increasing number of people are celebrating with us the heart of the Christian faith: that Christ is risen!

“Many different factors draw people to the Cathedral, including our engagement with the wider community and activities and events throughout the year, and above all, the quality of worship that we are able to offer.“

Elsewhere, Peterborough Cathedral welcomed over 170,000 visitors in the space of three months following the arrival of Tim Peake’s Soyuz space capsule.

The Cathedral was chosen by an expert panel from a shortlist of five venues across the country, including Millennium Point in Birmingham and The Forum in Norwich. The venues entered an open competition last year to win the opportunity to be the sixth location on the spacecraft’s national tour.

Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough, said the Soyuz spacecraft had “not only attracted large numbers of visitors, but also prompted questions about the relationship between science and faith and humanity’s place in the universe”.

Over the last decade, there has been a small overall increase of 2% (200,000 people) from 9.6 million visitors in 2008 to 9.8 million in 2018, the data also showed.