February 2025. Chichester.
The obligatory “culture between the cask” post back in Chichester from Emsworth.
The West Sussex county town has always seemed to me a modest place, the Bedford of the South.
But we caught the centre on a day when blue skies emerged from hibernation, the streets clean,
the entire genteel (and rowdy) population in the remaining Spoons.
Mrs RM didn’t fancy JDW for lunch, no ramen bowl, and my pick had just had a “kitchen disaster”.
So, fuelled by cheap focaccia and samosas from East Street market we did the culture.
This one is free and they weren’t even pushing donations too hard, which only made me love them more
Radiohead, you know, the “Paranoid Android” hit band, are attempting a comeback here.
I’m working on probate that night.
Wide open spaces, which is Mansun not Radiohead, but some glorious colour,
and a 900 year old sculpture of Lazarus revived by a flagon of HSB.
The walks around the walls are modest,
but just past the pub where Kentish Paul slept the week before (blue plaque pending)
you find the local free museum, with a lovingly simple 1980s display aimed squarely at the half-term market.
retiredmartin 
Nice cathedral where you feel you can while away the time. Middle of the pack.
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Waggon wheel doesn’t look much bigger than it does now?
Tracker does.
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Even Matthew enjoyed our visit to Chichester cathedral, back in November 2023. The fact that, unlike Salisbury, Winchester, Canterbury etc, there was no admission charge, is a huge plus in its favour.
16 years ago, after completing the South Downs Way, my companion Eric, and I were dismayed at the excessive fee charged for admission to Winchester. The following day, after completing what we regarded as the “spiritual” last leg of the walk – visiting the Hospital of St Cross, and receiving the Wayfarer’s Dole of bread and ale, we had a chat with the Porter who is responsible for this ancient almshouse, and the individual who dispenses (if that’s the right word), the piece of bread, plus the small measure of ale – Fuller’s London Pride, from a polypin!
She told us, that according to Church of England law, the cathedral authorities have no sacred right to charge an admission fee, and would have been obliged to allow us to enter the building, had we refused to pay. She also said, that had we told the cathedral staff, that we wished to pray, they would’ve have had to let us in.
No admission charges for cathedrals in Germany – I’m thinking here of Cologne and Munich, although as is only fair, donations are always welcome.
ps. There is a pre-booked admission fee for Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, but then it is still a work in progress.
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York Minster was £20. You get readmission all year, but to be honest I’d been a few times over the years and we didn’t need much time in there.
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“Salisbury, Winchester, Canterbury etc, there was no admission charge, is a huge plus in its favour”.
Yes Paul, but I don’t know how they manage that without us all going every Sunday and putting half a crown in the collection tray like when I were a lad.
St Pauls was free when I went for morning prayers mid November but I still put a note in the collection as I left.
I’m not sure why there’s an expectation of free cathedrals, free parking and free this, that and other nowadays.
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