Some facts about the Church of England s buildings The Church of England has over 16,000 churches and 42 cathedrals in England, as well as others in mainland Europe. 13,000 of these buildings are listed by the Government as being of special architectural or historic interest. 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.