Bath Abbey has announced it will be changing from a suggested donation to an entry charge for visitors to the heritage attraction.
Photo © Bath Abbey
The Abbey says it is introducing a new business model to help maintain its high standards and cope with the demands of maintaining the site for current and future visitors.
The change will be introduced alongside the opening of the new Discovery Centre, on Tuesday 7th March.
Located beneath the Abbey, the Discovery Centre is a space that will allow visitors to see behind the scenes of life at the attraction and find out more about the building’s history.
Objects from the Abbey’s archives will be on display in the custom-built area, constructed within the ancient vaults beneath the building.
Videos, replica period costumes and interactive exhibits will immerse visitors in the history of the building and explore the stories of people connected to the Abbey.
Alongside an extensive timeline of the Abbey’s history, historical artefacts, some of which have never been seen by the public, will be on display.
These include Anglo-Saxon crosses, Medieval carved stone fragments, historic silver, and the Benefactors’ Book, a record of money and materials given to the Abbey for its reconstruction after the Reformation.
At the same time as the opening of the Discovery Centre, the Abbey will also introduce free 30-minute guided tours throughout the day.
These tours are separate from the popular Tower Tours, which are paid guided tours to the top of the Bath Abbey tower.
When Bath Abbey moves from its suggested £5 entry donation to a £6.50 admission fee, local residents and those visiting to pray, worship and attend services will not need to pay.
The following groups will not need to pay the admission fee:
- Those wishing to attend church services, to pray, or light a candle
- Residents in the BA1 and BA2 postcode areas, with proof of address
- Discovery Card holders
Nathan Ward, Manager of the Footprint Project says of the Discovery Centre: “Opening the Discovery Centre is a huge achievement.
“It is the result of many years of hard work, and we are very pleased to be welcoming people into these new spaces where we can display important artefacts for the first time and provide our visitors with a new ‘interactive’ perspective on the history of the Abbey.
“Getting to this point has been a huge undertaking and we are very grateful to our excellent team of local designers and suppliers who have contributed to create this unique and exciting new facility.”
The Revd Canon Guy Bridgewater, Rector of Bath Abbey added: “The opening of the Discovery Centre marks an important new chapter in the life of the Abbey, and a wonderful resource as we seek to live and tell the good news of Jesus with the city of Bath and its visitors.
“We are keen to be a Church that is always there for our local Bath residents, and that offers a welcoming spiritual home for all who come here to pray.
“As our visitors from further afield gradually recover in number, we will be keeping our offer to them under careful review – and we are thrilled by the exciting upgrade that our new Discovery Centre and Abbey visitor resources will now bring to enhance their experience in Bath.”
