Pels, Anastasia
(2025)
Paying Your Way In – An Exploration of Inclusive Heritage Through the Boundary of Entry Fees in Winchester Cathedral.
Master thesis, M Religion and Cultural Heritage.
Abstract
As one in four cathedrals in the United Kingdom now implement a form of entry
charge, questions about the effects of these charges are timely. This thesis
examines the impact of such fees on inclusion within the cathedral setting. It
focuses particularly on insider/outsider dynamics and the notion of inclusion
within the broader ‘cathedral community’. Through the course of the thesis, we
will examine how entrance fees affect both access and belonging in spaces that
function simultaneously as religious institutions and heritage sites.
The investigation begins by briefly examining the dual identity of cathedrals as
both sacred and heritage spaces, arguing that entrance fees serve as a key
marker of heritagisation. Core concepts such as the Cathedral’s own vision of
inclusion, the Faro Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society,
inclusive heritage practices, and the nature of cathedral communities are central
to this analysis as both a religious and heritage site.
Drawing on secondary literature as well as original data collected through
interviews and participant observation at the entrance to Winchester Cathedral,
this thesis investigates the practical application and consequences of entrance
fees within this setting and the lived experience of visitors and volunteers who
interact with them. The aim of this investigation is to understand how entrance
fees shape these everyday interactions within the Cathedral and affect a sense
of belonging.
The thesis concludes by assessing potential alternative models that may better
support both financial sustainability and open access. The findings contribute to
current debates in heritage studies, ecclesiastical policy, and cultural inclusion
and further research can be taken to expand this study.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Irving, A.J.M. | | Faculteit GGW, Christendom en Ideeengeschiedenis | A.J.M.Irving@rug.nl | | Mucciarelli, E. | | Faculteit GGW, Faculteit Godgeleerdheid en Godsdienstwetenschap | e.mucciarelli@rug.nl |
|
| Degree programme: |
M Religion and Cultural Heritage |
| Academic year: |
2024-2025 |
| Date of delivery: |
03 Feb 2026 10:47 |
| Last modified: |
03 Feb 2026 10:47 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/852 |
Actions (requires login)
 |
View Item |
