How much does it cost to keep a cathedral open?

The Norman Cathedral in Peterborough, known in part for being the resting place of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, has announced a voluntary £6 entry donation, due to fears it could "go bust".

"Visitors are welcome to give whatever they can - or nothing at all. The cathedral remains open to everyone, regardless of their ability to donate," a spokesperson has said.

The news received a mixed response. Some visitors support the idea to "help with the upkeep and preserve it" for the future, while others believe the amount could discourage others from visiting.

But what does it cost to run the near 1,000-year-old building, and where does its income come from?

Jack Pishhorn, Peterborough Cathedral's chief operating officer, told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Dotty McLeod that it cost about "£2.5m a year to operate".

"Over the last few years we have operated at a loss of around £500,000 to £1m and that's unsustainable for the cathedral," Pishhorn said.

"That's not just us. That's 80% of UK cathedrals operate in a structural deficit, so we've really got to try to push our income and donations is such a great way of being able to do that.

"All we are trying to do is educate people about the true cost of operating our cathedral."

He added that the cost of keeping it open worked out between £5 and £6 per minute.

The cathedral launched a Cathedral in Crisis campaign amid fears it would not be able to continue opening seven days a week without introducing entry charges.

While the initial target was £300,000, the campaign raised nearly £500,000 through donations and grants.

"Two years ago, before the Crisis campaign, we were going to be one of the first cathedrals in the country to go completely bust, which would have meant us closing our doors and potentially opening just on Sunday, which would have been absolutely horrifying for Peterborough," said Pishhorn.

"So we need to do absolutely everything we can do to try and drive an income, to try and support our operating costs, to be able to keep this amazing asset open for our city."

Its latest published accounts for the year ending 2024 showed that staff costs were £1.27m, including about £300,000 for "key management personnel" and nearly £140,000 for the clergy.

Electricity costs increased by 51% and gas costs doubled, according to the report.

It said it spent about £850,000 on upkeep, while its property investment value had depleted by about £730,000 in the year.

The cathedral said it faced risk from "failure to meet fundraising targets which would impact on the operational outcomes and its ability to undertake capital projects directed at improving sustainability".

It said: "Increased demands on grant-giving bodies make the process for securing funding more competitive, and as a result the inability to secure grants for core funding has had a significant impact."

In 2024, it spent just over £1.1m on fundraising activities, while donations, legacies and grants generated about £1.2m.

Peterborough Cathedral receives a subsidy from the Church of England but Pishhorn described this contribution as "a very small drop in the ocean compared to actually what we're operating at".

"We have got a £2.5m a year cost, and we have to try and match that through our own income-generating method."

The cathedral relies on visitor donations, grants, commercial activities and events.

Its annual Christmas market attracted about 6,000 people in 2025, while the ticketed Monsters of the Sea display, in 2024, was attended by 30,000.

The cathedral has also been seeking additional support through the £92m Places of Worship Renewal Fund, a national grant scheme delivered by Historic England and funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, for urgent roof repairs.

The Very Reverend Dean of Peterborough Chris Dalliston said: "For over 900 years Peterborough Cathedral has stood at the heart of this community as a place of prayer, welcome and service, all are welcome and no-one will ever be turned away who comes to find peace and sanctuary.

"The huge challenge of sustaining such buildings and our financial fragility is well known, however, so we do invite all who are able to, to contribute to the shared responsibility of caring for and maintaining our city's greatest building and an enduring symbol of its identity."

The BBC contacted the cathedral for a further comment on the accounts, but it declined to comment.

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