'Raves in the naves': silent discos held in Church of England's ancient cathedrals stir up controversy

It was a night of old favourites and modern anthems. More than 400 people paid about £25 a head to dance beneath Winchester Cathedral's magnificent medieval arches on Saturday evening. Drinks were served at a bar and music was fed through individual headphones.

- Harriet Sherwood

"If you had told me this time last year that I would be in the cathedral with a beer in my hand while belting out the chorus of Rolling in the Deep by Adele I would have thought you were mad," wrote Matt RooksTaylor, a local reporter. "Everywhere I looked there were happy faces." However, not everyone is pleased at the growing trend for England's glorious cathedrals to host silent cos. As the number planning to host such events in the coming months reached at least 14, a petition opposing the "desecration of our historic holy places" amassed more than 2,400 signatures. In Canterbury, a prayer vigil was held outside the ancient cathedral during a silent disco this month.

At the heart of the controversy is how the huge cost of running and maintaining cathedrals is met. In England, 39 out of 42 Anglican cathedrals are Grade I-listed, and three - Durham, Canterbury and Westminster Abbey - are also world heritage sites.

The cathedrals do not receive government funding and the Church of England contributes only a fraction of costs. The vast majority of income has to be raised through grants, donations, events and in some cases entrance fees.

Canterbury's running costs are £7.3m a year, or £20,000 a day. At Winchester it is £5.1m, or £14,000 a day. At Hereford, the annual bill is £2.5m. Guildford Cathedral - built in the 1940s - costs £1m a year to run.