Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and registered charity in Surrey, England, providing daily worship, music programmes, venue hire, educational visits, and filming location services to congregations, event clients, schools, and production companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersGuildford, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Guildford Cathedral firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Guildford Cathedral
- Legal name
- The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford
- Website
- https://guildford-cathedral.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Guildford Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and registered charity in Surrey, England, providing daily worship, music programmes, venue hire, educational visits, and filming location services to congregations, event clients, schools, and production companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Guildford Cathedral industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cathedral and Religious Services
- NAICS
- Religious Organizations (8131), Historical Sites (712120)
- SIC
- Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Religious Landmarks & Pilgrimage Sites (Temples, Churches, Shrines) (THAJACAG), Iconic Architecture & Signature Buildings (Cathedrals, Palaces, Castles) (THAJACAE)
Keywords
Where Guildford Cathedral is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Guildford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Guildford Cathedral business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Giving: The Cathedral relies on donations from visitors, congregation members, and supporters. Multiple giving schemes are available including Parish Giving Scheme, Congregational Giving, and Gifts in Wills.
- Charity Abseil Events: Charity abseil events generate revenue through facility fees paid by charities (from £2,950) and partnership fees with Hatt Adventures. Typical charity fundraising totals £27,000-£30,000 per event.
- Venue Hire: The Cathedral nave and grounds are hired out for events including dinners (up to 500), drinks receptions (up to 800), concerts (up to 1,000), festivals, exhibitions, and degree ceremonies. Revenue generated from catering, facilities use, and online box office ticketing.
- Filming and TV Location Hire: The Cathedral generates revenue from hosting film and television productions. Experience with large productions and smaller TV recordings including The Sandman, The Witcher, and BBC shows.
- Educational Visits and Workshops: Schools and educational groups pay for structured visits, workshops, and learning programs at the Cathedral.
- Music Programs: Revenue from Music Patrons' Scheme and music-related donations supporting choir and musical activities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Single rope abseil package - One rope from £2,650 + VAT |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Two ropes abseil package - Two ropes from £4,450 + VAT |
| Unit Pricing | Event-based | Cathedral facility fee - From £2,950 (VAT exempt) |
| Other | Event-based | Charity fundraising outcomes - £27,000 to £30,000+ typical |
| Other | Event-based | Venue hire - Contact for pricing |
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Guildford Cathedral product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Guildford Cathedral operates as a Church of England cathedral providing daily worship services, a cathedral choir and music program, and venue hire for corporate, cultural, and community events. It also runs educational visits, charity fundraising events such as abseils, art exhibitions, an on-site café and shop, and serves as a filming location for film and television productions.
Product overview
Guildford Cathedral offers a portfolio of religious worship services and community programs centered around its historic cathedral building. The core offerings include daily worship services (Morning Prayer, Holy Communion, Choral Evensong), a comprehensive music program with Cathedral Choir and organ performances, and venue hire services for events. Supporting offerings include Seasons Café, Cathedral Shop, tower tours, guided tours, art exhibitions, and educational programs for schools. The Cathedral also serves as a filming location for TV and film productions. Fundraising through donations, the Music Patrons' Scheme, and charity events like abseils support the Cathedral's operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Worship Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Knife Angel exhibition attracted over 25,000 visitors
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Guildford Cathedral
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Guildford Cathedral technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Guildford Cathedral partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Hatt Adventures (Charity Abseil Events)coreLong-term partnership with Hatt Adventures for delivering charity abseil experiences. They handle operational delivery of abseil activities while the Cathedral provides the venue. Hatt Adventures charges £2,650-£4,450 + VAT for event coordination.
- Horizon Parking LimitedminorParking management partner for Cathedral car park activities. Data sharing relationship for vehicle registration details.
- Diocese of GuildfordcoreJoint data controller relationship. The Diocese is responsible for financial and administrative arrangements including safeguarding. The Cathedral works together with the Offices of the Bishops of Guildford Diocese.
- Guildford Cathedral Enterprises LtdcoreWholly-owned trading subsidiary of Guildford Cathedral (Reg 0229914) that supports the mission and ministry of the Cathedral.
- Friends of Guildford CathedralcoreSupport organization that funds Cathedral projects. Joint data controller. Holds AGMs and supports various initiatives.
- Guildford Cathedral Music Development FoundationcoreFoundation supporting music development at the Cathedral. Joint data controller for member data.
- Local Rotary ClubsminorPartnership supporting the Ukrainian Icons on Ammunition Boxes exhibition, helping fund essential medical supplies and vehicles for Ukraine.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Guildford Cathedral competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- English Heritage: English Heritage operates multiple historic UK sites with venue hire, education, filming, and visitor services — a broader incumbent that overlaps with the Cathedral's commercial activities (filming, venue hire, education) but at portfolio scale rather than single-site specialization.
- Historic Royal Palaces: Historic Royal Palaces operates heritage UK venues for events, filming, education, and tourism, including cathedrals-adjacent historic sites — a broader incumbent whose venue hire and filming services directly compete with cathedral offerings.
Direct peers
- Lichfield Cathedral: Lichfield Cathedral is a regional Anglican cathedral offering worship, music, education, and venue hire — a directly comparable peer in scale and operational footprint within the Church of England network.
- Canterbury Cathedral: Canterbury Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England and operates worship, heritage tourism, venue hire, education, and retail at scale — a larger but directly comparable UK cathedral peer with the same diversified operating model.
- Winchester Cathedral: Winchester Cathedral operates worship services, venue hire, education, music programs, and visitor experiences from a major historic site — a directly comparable UK cathedral peer with overlapping revenue mix and customer base.
- Chichester Cathedral: Chichester Cathedral is a regional Anglican cathedral offering worship, music programs, venue hire, and education in southern England — directly comparable in scale and operational scope to Guildford Cathedral.
- Durham Cathedral: Durham Cathedral combines worship services, UNESCO-heritage tourism, venue hire, education, and music programming — a directly comparable UK cathedral peer with a similar diversified operating structure.
- Salisbury Cathedral: Salisbury Cathedral operates a comparable mixed model combining Anglican worship, heritage tourism, venue hire, education programs, and a tower tour attraction — directly mirroring Guildford Cathedral's worship-plus-commercial structure in a similar UK regional setting.
- York Minster: York Minster operates as a major heritage cathedral combining worship, tourism, venue hire, education, and music at significant scale, making it a closely comparable direct peer despite its larger size.
- Wells Cathedral: Wells Cathedral offers worship, heritage tourism, education programs, and venue events from a historic English cathedral — directly comparable in scope and target audiences to Guildford Cathedral.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Guildford Cathedral social profiles
Digital presenceGuildford Cathedral compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Guildford Cathedral financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Guildford Cathedral leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Guildford Cathedral subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Guildford Cathedral funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Guildford Cathedral M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Guildford Cathedral
What does Guildford Cathedral do?
Guildford Cathedral operates as a Church of England cathedral providing daily worship services, a cathedral choir and music program, and venue hire for corporate, cultural, and community events. It also runs educational visits, charity fundraising events such as abseils, art exhibitions, an on-site café and shop, and serves as a filming location for film and television productions.
Is Guildford Cathedral a public or private company?
Guildford Cathedral is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Guildford Cathedral founded?
Guildford Cathedral was founded in 1961. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Guildford Cathedral based?
Guildford Cathedral is headquartered in Guildford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Guildford Cathedral make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Giving is the primary driver. The others are charity Abseil Events, venue Hire, filming and TV Location Hire, educational Visits and Workshops and music Programs.
Who are Guildford Cathedral's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are English Heritage and Historic Royal Palaces. Direct peers are Lichfield Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, York Minster and Wells Cathedral.
Does Guildford Cathedral have an API?
No public API is recorded for Guildford Cathedral.
What industry is Guildford Cathedral in?
Guildford Cathedral's product category is Cathedral and Religious Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAJAL, Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites), with a secondary code of THAJACAG, Religious Landmarks & Pilgrimage Sites (Temples, Churches, Shrines). Its NAICS code is 8131 and its SIC code is 6512.