English Heritage unveiled on 1 December the results of a major survey into the state of the nation’s 59 Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals.

It reveals that l more than £250million has been spent on repairs since 1991 and almost all critical work has been carried out l £90million has been spent since 2001 on new works to make them more welcoming l over the next 10 years another £100million needs to be spent on repairs, including major projects on six of them.