The place is, of course, absolutely stunning and as impressive as the Pyramids or Colosseum. I'm lucky in that I can see the dome from where I live (though the increasing height of and increasingly abhorrent London skyline has taken the tallest building for hundreds of years and made it almost invisible). I get to travel past it quite regularly and it's always the highlight of my journey.

But I rarely go in, and to not be able to go into the House of God when one wants - and it's open - is a sacrilege in my view.

A £25 entrance fee for an adult, especially for locals, is ridiculous. But when one multiplies that for a family, or for someone who wishes to visit regularly, it's simply OBSCENE. I fully appreciate the need to ask for money in order to support the upkeep of this magnificent building but it should be a minimal charge or better yet, donations, as every other small church, parish church, dinky chapel across the country asks for and survives on. Other great cathedrals survive without charging entrance fees (Southwark, just across the river, being a prime example).

And then there are the staff. Oi vey! Again, I understand tourists can sometimes be a handful but it's simply not Christian the way some of the church officials (not even the volunteers) speak to visitors. We were there for a service and one man was particularly rude with how he was talking to a woman. This is unacceptable. I know he's only human but manners and friendliness cost nothing and should be the bare minimum required from anybody working in such an establishment. And I do absolutely believe it was in part due to sexism as I definitely thought he wouldn't have spoken to a tall man the way he was speaking to this petite older female. But then there was an usher - a delightful female who was trying to answer questions even as they were trying to hurry everyone out of the building so it could be closed for the evening. She was friendly and with a wealth of information and I think it's a shame I didn't get to speak to her earlier in the day as I would have left with a much deeper appreciation for the building and it's historical objects, I'm sure.

We were not treated to music from the main organs, but from a smaller console that would still drown out stampeding elephants, and a choir was present which was also pleasant to hear - but yet again, a downside: that being the sexism of an all-boys choir (as a female chorister, I'm always deeply offended at this nonsensical notion that girls aren't good enough). The unfortunate acoustics of the cathedral mean that they are in many respects essential during any sung service as the repeated echoes (I think every sound echoes for about 7 seconds) would make it impossible for untrained singers to be able to sing with any confidence. The echo is also very evident during all spoken sections of a service so that should be kept in mind if planning on attending any smaller/less popular events if one has hearing issues. The echo is far less pronounced when the cathedral is packed with bodies to absorb the sound!

There are a great many historical items, with access to the crypt. I am unaware if there is still access to the roof - but in my youth I used to love climbing right to the top and seeing the view from atop the dome. I know the whispering gallery was closed for a while and assume this is still the case. Just another reason why the entrance fee is excessive.

Would I recommend it? Yes, just as I would recommend visiting any outstanding historical building. But I would suggest if one cannot afford the fee then the only option is to attend a service - get there an hour or so early to allow some time to explore beforehand. It won't be the best way to experience it, you won't have access to guides or audio guides, but you will at least be able to see some of it for free, and then experience a church service (which, as with all Anglican churches, is open to ALL people of ALL faiths. Everybody is welcome to attend and learn how things are done!).

For the disabled, there are alternate entrances.