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As a place of worship, the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great has always enjoyed a celebrity profile.
The artist William Hogarth was baptised in the 5th-century font 310 years ago and in recent times it was used as a location in the hit films Four Weddings
and a Funeral and Shakespeare in Love.
The historic church is in the spotlight again, but this time for committing what many in the heritage world regard as a cardinal sin.
Great St Barts, as it is popularly known, has become the first consecrated and functioning parish church in England to charge an entrance fee. Now visitors who want to view the founder's tomb, or gaze up at Prior Bolton's oriel window, or even admire Exquisite Pain, Damien Hirst's sculpture of St Bartholomew, must pay £4 ($10.80) to do so.
It is a decision that has infuriated those who love the church in the City of London, founded as an Augustinian priory in 1123 and with a reputation for its healing powers.
"It is not good public relations for the church as a whole and it will probably prompt others to do the same," said Maxwell Hutchinson, an architectural expert and broadcaster. "This is a fine church and it is one of our only churches in London that has a considerable amount of surviving Norman architecture."
Robin Stummer, a local resident and editor of the architecture magazine Cornerstone, is equally angry. "How dare they do this?" he asked. "It is a disgrace, and as a result the church seems to be mainly empty these days.
"It is one of Britain's great churches and people have been able to go in for free since the 12th century. What sort of signal does it send out as to the state of our cultural heritage in this country? This is a bad move for the Church of England."
The church authorities said the charge was to help find £200,000 for repairs to the roof. English Heritage, they added, did not make a grant to cover the work and an appeal had not raised enough money.
There are already admission charges at several English cathedrals, with St Paul's asking a full ticket price of £9.50 and Canterbury charging £6.50 a visitor, but Great St Barts is the first parish church to put itself on this financial footing. The fee is waived, however, for those who say they have come to pray.
- Observer
