sueburden Posted 29 June , 2009 Share Posted 29 June , 2009 If any members are going to London to pay their respects at the grave of the unknown Soldier they may be interested to know that there is now a charge of £15.00 to go into the Abbey. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 29 June , 2009 Share Posted 29 June , 2009 Thanks for that Sue. Anyone wishing to avoid the charge however should attend Evensong when the entrance is free. TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sueburden Posted 29 June , 2009 Author Share Posted 29 June , 2009 I did not know that Terry. Thanks. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 29 June , 2009 Share Posted 29 June , 2009 Is this a mandatory charge or merely 'recommended' for upkeep of the abbey etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 29 June , 2009 Share Posted 29 June , 2009 There has been an admission charge for the Abbey for some years. As far as I know, it excludes those entering for services as Terry says, and I think you are also allowed to go in at the West door free if you just want to visit the grave of the Unknown Warrior, but that may have changed recently. Normal "paying" access is via the North door. The TV news tonight reported that they are planning a major redevelopment including, possibly, a "crown" on the stubby tower at the central crossing. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 29 June , 2009 Share Posted 29 June , 2009 Interesting. I haven't been to Westminster for many years. I am intrigued by the idea of a religious house charging (as opposed to recommending a donation amount) for access, regardless of whether a service is in progress. Having visited many Cathedrals / Minsters in the Midlands, the North, Wales and Scotland in the last few years I haven't encountered this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
better ole Posted 30 June , 2009 Share Posted 30 June , 2009 They have to pay for the Olympics somehow - I think the Abbey is to be one of the 'Official places of Worship' for 2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 30 June , 2009 Share Posted 30 June , 2009 York charges entrance fees I believe. No wonder they cannot get new members Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisharley9 Posted 30 June , 2009 Share Posted 30 June , 2009 As far as I know Ely charges for admission, but Peterborough, Norwich & Bury St Edmunds ask for a donation Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted 30 June , 2009 Share Posted 30 June , 2009 There has been an admission charge for the Abbey for some years. As far as I know, it excludes those entering for services as Terry says, and I think you are also allowed to go in at the West door free if you just want to visit the grave of the Unknown Warrior, but that may have changed recently. Normal "paying" access is via the North door. Ron, I din't think the West door was open, I thought the only entrance was via the North door. As mentioned by Terry all services are free admission (sunday included - perhaps you put £15 on the collection plate). Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Linham Posted 30 June , 2009 Share Posted 30 June , 2009 My understanding is that you go to the West entrance and speak to an Abbey Marshall ( they are the ones wearing red robes) and request a visit to the Unknown Warrior . You will then be escorted into the Abbey and shown the Unknown Warrior and left for a short time to pay your respects and then escorted out again through the West door. This was how I gained entrance the last time I went. If you are lucky and get a Abbey Marshall that has an interest, you might strike lucky, I asked if I could see the page in the RAMC book of rembrance where James Josiah Linham is commerated - sure enough the gentlemen fetched the key for me and opened the book to the correct page. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelcave Posted 30 June , 2009 Share Posted 30 June , 2009 I suspect that the situation is similar to that in Edinburgh Castle, for example - if you ask to see the War Memorial there, no charge [though you are tracked like an incoming ballistic missile!]. As a non Anglican, I must say that I have very considerable sympathy for the Abbey (and Cathedral) authorities: it costs a fortune to keep these places in reasonable order and i is rather unfair to ask a congregation (for a Cathedral) of maybe a maximum of a couple of thousand given all the parish churches around - and neither the Cathedrals nor the Abbey, for that matter, are parish churches. Sure they have the Church Commissioners: but the last time that fund got topped up was in the reign of Queen Anne. Here in Italy the situation is somewhat mixed - places like Venice (declining population, lots of churches, lots of works of art) do charge a smallish sum; Verona - key 'tourist' churches charge about £4.00- but that's for all of them in the town. In the UK, when you throw in on top the cost of maintaining the choral tradition, the lack of sponsorship for restoration etc, I think it's a minor miracle that the CofE does the sort of job that it does in maintaining the fabric of buildings that have such national significance, over and above their spiritual value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 30 June , 2009 Share Posted 30 June , 2009 I do remember the last time I went there (1994) there wasnt a fee per se but a donation box was waved around. However does this mean that if you went to evensong you could wander around afterwards for free or are you shown the door (exit) after the service ? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfaulder Posted 1 July , 2009 Share Posted 1 July , 2009 Westminster Abbey as part of the Established Church of England is therefore part of the "Establishment" and has to react to pressures on public spending. Perhaps savings could be made by shutting it entirely (or perhaps just the main nave) on the busiest day of the week; then they could introduce user-charges whilst keeping the commercial bits open to all (possibly a loyalty card for regular visitors - subject to satisfactory identification and orientation courses?). I am sure that digitalisation could provide a satisfactory alternative to those who cannot actually visit. If they are wanting money for redevelopment perhaps they could ensure that the Tomb of the unknown soldier is on the free access side of the security barriers. Or just perhaps they could take a longer view of what they are really there for? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelcave Posted 1 July , 2009 Share Posted 1 July , 2009 I do remember the last time I went there (1994) there wasnt a fee per se but a donation box was waved around. However does this mean that if you went to evensong you could wander around afterwards for free or are you shown the door (exit) after the service ? David Generally speaking, they lock up for the night after evensong! And no, no time to go gawping around if you go evensong either. a somewhat similar situation operates in St Paul's as well - or it did ten years or so ago: ie no charge for evensong. Westminster Cathedral is free: but then, from a tourist point of view, there are not a fraction of the memorials etc that make both Westminster A and St Paul's such tourist magnets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 1 July , 2009 Share Posted 1 July , 2009 I know that these tremendous buildings cost a fortune to maintain (my local PCC, of which I was formerly a member struggles annually in this regard) but.... If I turned up at the door and said that I (genuinely) wished to pray quietly for 5 minutes, would it cost fifteen quid? What if a casual passer by, struck by a sudden spritual urge (it does happen), turns back from the door when they see the charge. It just all seems very wrong to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelcave Posted 1 July , 2009 Share Posted 1 July , 2009 I know that these tremendous buildings cost a fortune to maintain (my local PCC, of which I was formerly a member struggles annually in this regard) but.... If I turned up at the door and said that I (genuinely) wished to pray quietly for 5 minutes, would it cost fifteen quid? What if a casual passer by, struck by a sudden spritual urge (it does happen), turns back from the door when they see the charge. It just all seems very wrong to me. I think in all these places (or most of them), there is a freely accessible chapel for quiet prayer and reflection. The problem is stauration, tourists who are not pilgrims in the religious sense etc: problem - who is going to foot the bill for H and S, security, ordered access and all the rest of it. Gone are the days of thirty odd years ago when you could wander around these superb buildings in relative peace and quiet. even with £15 or whatever it is, getting around Westminster is very difficult. St Mark's in Venice is the same. St Peter's in Rome is free, but the queues, even for a building with such a huge capacity, have become noticeably much bigger in the last ten years or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sueburden Posted 1 July , 2009 Author Share Posted 1 July , 2009 Thanks for all the responses. The £15.00 is an entrance fee and you cannot go in without paying it. As Andrew said "it seems very wrong to me". Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 2 July , 2009 Admin Share Posted 2 July , 2009 I have managed to get in to pay my respects twice on November 11th, will be interesting to see what transpires this year. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moriaty Posted 2 July , 2009 Share Posted 2 July , 2009 Within the last two months I went to Westminster Abbey, to the West entrance by the bookshop, said to an Abbey Marshall that I wished to visit the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, was told not to take too long and was allowed in without paying an entrance fee. I am sure I had previously read this on the Forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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