It isn't the religiosity at places like York I find irritating, it's the nine quid. I enter the House of the Lord via the souvenir shop, sometimes, though not always, with a carrier bag bearing a simulacrum of the same to shake in the face of nosy parkers wanting a handout. If the government can afford to prosecute foreign wars they can afford to fix the roof on thousand year old buildings.

The alternative is to attend a service which is free and you often get tea and biscuits thrown in.