Museums charging.

Even churches and cathedrals charge now, after all, visitors do place wear and tear on buildings and facilities and the fees charged don't actually bring in enough money to keep the places going, no matter how steep it may seem to us.

I had a feeling it was going to happen some time ago. I was sent a survey by Yougov and in it I was asked to vote for which form of currently (mostly) free public leisure facility I would choose to keep free. I voted for parks. Believe it or not, depending on where you live, you do now have to pay to get into quite a few parks and to me that seems appalling, I do so feel for people who live in flats.

So you'd be happy to pay a £20 tourist tax but not an entrance fee, SineDie?

If they charge I shan't go. These belong to the nation and we should all have a right to see the treasures within.

Why not charge a £20 tourist tax as many other countries do?

I think it's a great shame, but a bit inevitable. Museums like everything cost so much to keep up so I suppose it was only a matter of time before a charge would be made. I can remember years ago visiting the British Museum, along with others, again and again and not thinking twice about it. Yes I think it's sad, but inevitable.

I think they found that having a clear plastic donations box in the entrance hall made more money than charging.

I think the visitor numbers dropped dramatically when they started charging once before, its a shame they don't get more donations from those that can afford to contribute when they visit. We don't go often but probably would still go even with an entry fee.