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From Sixpenny Entry to Five Shilling Subscription: Charting Cathedral Outreach and Friends’ Associations in the 1920s and 1930s

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2011

Judith A. Muskett
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Abstract

All Anglican cathedrals in England have formal associations of Friends (like other institutions in the heritage sector). The majority arose in the 1920s/30s, a period that coincided with the gradual development of a focused outreach strategy by cathedrals, and the abandonment of sixpenny entrance fees. By analysing Letters to the Editor and news reports in The Times, this article explores the origins of cathedral Friends’ associations. The sources illustrate the benefits of Friendship for both sides of the dyad: for the cathedrals, primarily the five shilling subscriptions and the creation of an informed supporter base; and for the members, mainly esoteric benefits. It is also demonstrated that, in the north, Friends’ gifts directly replaced cathedral/diocesan resources being deployed for social welfare. A particular value in focusing on the history of the cathedral Friends’ movement is that it highlights the history of the cathedrals themselves in this difficult inter-war period.

Keywords

admission chargesAnglican cathedralsdeansFriendsheritagenewspapersphilanthropy
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Anglican Studies , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , 30 March 2012 , pp. 94 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © The Journal of Anglican Studies Trust 2012

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Footnotes

1.

Judith A. Muskett, Theology & Religious Studies, York St John University, Lord Mayor's Walk, York, YO31 7EX, UK.

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