Most of these buildings are Church of England churches and cathedrals. Not all churches are historic buildings. Many churches have been built in recent years - in 1997, for example, ten new buildings were opened, bringing the total of new churches to 131 in the last ten years. Most churches are in fact a mixture of new and old. All this reflects the way in which churches have been adapted and added to over the years, as the needs of the worshipping community have changed.
Church buildings are treasuries of art, local and national history, culture, music and archaeology.
Church organs and bells support living traditions of music and change-ringing. Over 31 million tourists a year visit churches and cathedrals, many of them from overseas. Examples include the many churches which make their premises available for providing shelter for the homeless and those which host lunch clubs for the elderly. It is local church communities who meet most of the costs of looking after church buildings. The cost of maintaining, repairing and running churches is over 100 million per year.