I think they concede because they get many perks for being 'open'. From memory, they pay little or no council tax because they're an open house.

[quote="rebbonk"]I'm not religious but I believe that no 'house of God' of any denomination should charge for access.[/quote]

They don't charge to get in on Sunday worship. Just donations in a collection box kind of idea. hahahaaa! thats one way round it. So perhaps visitors should go in then for a look around.
I once visited St. Paul's Cathedral in London and they had turnstiles and security , charging I think it was a fiver or so to get in. I objected and said, I don't see why I should pay to come into a place of worship, so they let me in, I couldn't believe they would concede so easily.

I'm not religious but I believe that no 'house of God' of any denomination should charge for access.

Just seen this. The people of Coventry or visitors to the area should never have been charged to look round the Cathedral.
When I lived in Canterbury they charged visitors to enter the Cathedral, but for the residents of Canterbury it remained free. That was around 30 years ago.
Canterbury Cathedral is of course a lot older, around 700 years old and costs millions to run and repairs.

Apparently, visitor did drop when the fee was first introduced, but income increased.

It should never have been introduced in the first place. I'd like to see the visitor figures and receipts for the period it was in operation.

This is a fantastic move. Although this is generally seen as a necessary move by most Cathedral Chapters, I've never been a fan (even as a borderline atheist) of charging people to enter The House of God.

It's good to see that Coventry Cathedral is now in a position to scrap their entrance fee: [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-44015735[/url]