Peterborough Cathedral denies report it may be sold by Church of England

The Daily Mail is reporting that the Church of England “may be forced to sell one or more of its ancient cathedrals because of their overwhelming debts,” before namechecking Peterborough Cathedral a few paragraphs down.

The Jeremy Vine Show also reported about Peterborough Cathedral today, prompting a tweet from the cathedral which read: “We’d like to reassure anyone who listened to @theJeremyVine that there is no danger of our staff not being paid. We face financial challenges but do so with skill and much support. Come and visit, it’s beautiful here! @BBCRadio2.”

The city’s cathedral has had recent financial problems, culminating in redundancies, while it also hosted a BMW launch event in the Nave.

However, despite the problems entrance fees will not be introduced.

Responding to the reports, The Very Revd Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough, said: “The Church of England is not considering selling Peterborough Cathedral, nor is its future in jeopardy.

“As we celebrate our 900th anniversary we look forward with confidence to the future. We are continuing to make good progress in managing the financial challenges that inevitably come with maintaining and staffing one of the great buildings of Europe.

“We would encourage people to support and enjoy the cathedral by visiting, taking a tour or attending events and services.

“We have a full and exciting programme of activities planned for the future, including the visit of Tim Peake’s spacecraft in August. We will not be introducing entrance fees, although donations are always welcome.”