St Giles’ Cathedral in Scotland has said that visitors from outside of Scotland will be charged an entry fee of £12.
The cathedral, located in Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, was established in 1124 and, in all that time, has never charged for admission.
Under the plans, Scottish residents will be able to book entry online for free if they can provide proof of residency. Visitors living in other parts of the United Kingdom or from overseas, will be required to pay the fee.
The St Giles' Cathedral Charity Trust indicated that the move was necessary to maintain the financial viability of the site. With annual operating costs topping a million pounds, and no regular funding from the Scottish government, charging for entry was seen as the best option.
The Church of Scotland has been struggling in recent years with the maintenance of its historic buildings.
Earlier this year the Church warned that changes to a government scheme for funding historic churches placed the financial viability of some of its buildings under threat.
In August the Church transferred ownership of 800-year-old Brechin Cathedral to a community group. Later the same month the Church asked the Scottish government to take over the running of the Abbey Church of Dunfermline in Fife, final resting place of Robert the Bruce.
Announcing the introduction of the fees, officials at St Giles’ said the changes could improve the cathedral’s status as a tourist destination.
Stephen Preston, Transitional Chief Operating Officer at the cathedral, said, “Having recently celebrated our 900th anniversary, and with Scotland in an exciting time of growth with regards to tourism, we want to embrace the opportunity of being one of the world’s most visited heritage sites.
"These changes will allow us to meet the responsibility of sharing our story with national and international visitors.”
