The future of 900-year-old Peterborough Cathedral has reached a “critical” point amid tax rises, the cost-of-living crisis and a decrease in donations, according to its dean.
The Norman structure needs to raise £300,000 before the end of March to meet hefty running costs, the Very Reverend Christopher Dalliston said, adding that the failure to do so could turn it into the UK’s first part-time cathedral.
“The Cathedral has been at the heart of Peterborough and the diocese for nearly 1,400 years,” he said. “It belongs to everyone in this city and beyond. We urgently need your support to keep its doors open and ensure it remains a place of inspiration and sanctuary for all.”
“Without a real urgent injection of funds, we will find ourselves basically running out of money around Easter,” he added in a statement to The Times.
The financial demands facing the Grade-I listed building include rising energy and staffing costs and repair work – with “just a small amount of grant funding from the Church of England and none at all fom the government” forcing a reliance on “the generosity of visitors, supporters and commercial activities.”
Annual running costs now exceed £2 million, placing the historic structure’s future in jeopardy unless it is rescued by a groundswell of community backing.
The Norman cathedral, which is the burial place of Mary Queen of Scots and Katherine of Aragon, has seen a drop in voluntary donations which Revd Dalliston thinks could be due to cost-of-living strain, with the government’s planned rise of National Insurance for employers heaping yet more pressure on the struggling landmark.
“It’s not just a Peterborough problem,” the dean added while launching the fundraising drive to an audience of local officials on Monday. “We’re not the only cathedral facing difficulties. We must urgently address this current situation.”
“Everyone in Peterborough has a story to tell about the cathedral,” the city’s Labour MP Andrew Pakes said. “[It is] more than just a building – it’s a cornerstone of our community, a place of history, faith and connection … Together, we’re exploring funding options, securing government support and rallying the community to save this iconic landmark.”
While a slate of both traditional and unconventional community events including an Ibiza-style live music show and a Monsters of the Sea-themed art exhibition have helped to secure finances in the short-term, the situation is growing more desperate by the day.
And the continued need to tighten pursestrings could soon make the events themselves unviable, Revd Dalliston said, as a consequence of “not being able to meet demand”.
He hasn’t ruled out the introduction of an entry fee or partial closure throughout the year, though officials are keen to preserve the historic monument’s free entry policy for as long as possible.
“There are all the options on the table,” the dean told the BBC. “Certainly closing the cathedral for at least one or maybe two more days, and whether we can continue to make it free as we have really longed to do are the challenges we face.”