A working churchand an open building
Nine hundred years on the same ground. Prayer is said here twice a day whether anybody comes or not, and about two hundred thousand people a year walk through it. Both of those are the point.
Come in and look
Free, every day, nine until six. Guides on duty from half past nine and two free tours a day. You may photograph anything without flash, and you may sit down for as long as you like.
Before you comeEvensong, most days
Sung at half past five, Tuesday to Friday and on Sunday afternoon. Forty-five minutes, nothing asked of you, and the single best way into this building if you are not sure about churches.
All the servicesThree things worth knowing
Before you decide whether to come.
It is free
Admission has never been charged and the Chapter has resolved that it will not be. The tower is ticketed because it needs stewarding; everything else is open.
What it costsIt is a working church
Prayer is said at half past seven and half past five whether anybody comes or not. If you are here at either, you are welcome to join in or to carry on looking — both happen every day.
The servicesIt is still being built
Two masons work here full time and have done since 1974. There is scaffolding somewhere on the building at all times and there always will be.
The fabric
What it costs to stand here
£4,100 a day, and no admission charge.
Heating a building this size costs more per day than most people think a church spends in a month. Add two masons, an organist, a choir, insurance on a Grade I listed structure and the lead on the roof, and it comes to about four thousand one hundred pounds every day of the year.
Almost none of that is met by the Church of England centrally. It comes from the congregation, from visitors who choose to give, from the tower, and from the shop.
Which is why the tower is ticketed and the door is not. We would rather charge you for a view than for a place to pray.
The questions the vergers get asked
Can I go in if I'm not religious?
Yes, and most people who come in are not. Nobody will ask you anything or hand you anything.
What happens if a service starts while I'm inside?
Very little. A verger will ask you to keep to the aisles for forty minutes. You are also entirely welcome to sit down and listen, and a lot of people discover Evensong exactly this way.
Can I take photographs?
Handheld, without flash, anywhere except during a service. Tripods and drones need permission, which is usually given.
Is it accessible?
Step-free throughout the nave, quire and both transepts, with an accessible WC by the north door and a hearing loop. The tower and the crypt are not accessible and cannot be made so. A touch tour and a large-print guide are at the welcome desk.
How long does it take to look round?
Forty minutes at a walk, ninety with the free tour, and a good deal longer if you sit down, which we would rather you did.
Is there somewhere to eat?
A refectory in the undercroft, open ten to four. The scones are the reason a number of people come and they will tell you so at the door.