London churches offer the best facilities for visitors in England but if it's history and atmosphere people are after, they should head north to Cumbria, according to the findings of a new survey.
The National Churches Trust's church tourism website, ExploreChurches.org, looked at over 2,000 churches across 77 counties to rate them on eight different aspects.
Churches were judged on the quality of their interiors, stained glass, churchyards, atmosphere, wildlife, national history, monuments and social history. The survey also took into consideration the accessibility of the churches and the facilities they were able to offer visitors.
Overall, London scored highest when it came to 'five star churches', with over half of those surveyed (56 per cent) being accessible by public transport and offering parking, refreshments and toilets.
When it comes to places of significance to the nation's history, Cumbria is the place to head, with over half of the churches in the region (54 percent) claiming a famous connection or association with a national event. London was not far behind, with 53 per cent of its churches reporting historical links.
In addition to history, Cumbria came out tops in atmosphere too, with 78 per cent of the churches surveyed offering 'atmospheric' and 'other-worldly' surroundings, followed by Cornwall (69 per cent).
And Cumbria came joint first with Cornwall and Suffolk as the top three counties in England for stained glass.
For wildlife lovers, Cornwall is the place to visit as nearly half of the county's churches (49 percent) have wildflower meadows or grass that encourage native species or have been recognized as sites of special scientific interest.
When it came to stunning interiors, Norfolk and Shropshire shared joint first, with 96 per cent of churches across the two counties boasting exquisite furniture, embroidery, art, sculptures, wood or stone carvings, and paintings.
Bettany Hughes, Vice President of the National Churches Trust, which runs the explorechurches.org website, hopes the survey's findings will encourage people to get out and discover the amazing heritage of England's churches and chapels.
'We hope it will encourage more people to become passionate about these tremendous buildings packed with memories of human life often dating back over 1,000 years,' she said.
The analysis was conducted after a poll by the National Churches Trust last month found that nearly half of British adults (49 per cent) had visited a church, chapel or meeting house in the last year.
Out of those, nearly a quarter (22 per cent) said they had visited for tourism, while eight per cent said they had been seeking out a quiet space or wanted to light a candle.
The survey also found that almost a quarter of people would be more inclined to go into a church as a visitor if there were better facilities, such as accessible toilets, a cafe or nearby parking (23 per cent). A fifth said they would visit a church if it hosted cultural events like concerts or exhibitions.
