Bradford Cathedral has seen record numbers of individuals passing through its doors this yr, thanks largely to the British government’s decision to call Bradford because the “City of Culture” for 2025.
Previous “Cities of Culture” chosen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, include Coventry, Kingston upon Hull and Londonderry.
The cathedral said that “drop-in” visitor numbers were double that of any previous yr since records began. In response, the cathedral placed on a lot of tours and events to cater for the surge in visitor numbers.
Bradford Cathedral’s Director of Education and Visitors, Maggie Myers said, “We are delighted that so many 1000’s of individuals have come through the Cathedral’s doors in 2025, for such a wide range of reasons and from so many various parts of the country and the world.
“We’ve recorded visitors from throughout Britain and from a minimum of 36 other countries. These are only the individuals who have written comments within the Visitors’ Book or interacted with our welcome team, so we all know the actual total of holiday makers and their home counties and countries will probably be even higher.”
As well as tours and cultural events, Myers said that many visitors had taken the time to attend services and musical performances on the cathedral.
She added, “Since January, we’ve got placed on history, stained glass, textiles and architecture guided tours of the constructing at regular intervals, done large scale events for various audiences, equivalent to music events, exhibitions, educational visits, family activities, two days of events for crafters and our Her-itage Open Day, with its deal with female-led creativity and design. Our outside Timeline of our history since Saxon times was also a giant hit with visitors. There really has been something for everybody.”
While the cultural events of the yr may perhaps have inflated Bradford Cathedral’s usual numbers somewhat, other evidence suggests that the Church of England and Christianity more broadly, are indeed experiencing a resurgence in interest.
Official Church of England statistics published this week showed an increase in attendance for the fourth yr in a row, albeit with signs that the post-pandemic recovery is slowing. Earlier this yr the Bible Society published research which indicated a “quiet revival” is happening in Britain, with many more people attending church, particularly among the many young.
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