BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON
HISTORIC CHURCHES
21ST ANNUAL EDITION
7
and the 12 pews, which are now movable, can
seat some 70 members of the congregation,
more than sufficient for a Sunday service. For
larger services and other events, additional
seating is provided by new folding chairs.
NEGOTIATING PERMISSION
While understanding the need for the Church
of England’s faculty system (which regulates
proposed changes to church buildings and their
contents), many groups felt that negotiating
alterations and the location of new facilities took
too long. Some found it extremely frustrating
that they were prevented from making what
they saw as essential changes. To them it was
‘illogical’ that in a church that had been re-
ordered every century since the 1300s, they were
being prevented from implementing their vision.
The most common area of conflict
between a church and the diocesan advisory
committee (DAC) or amenity society1 was the
removal of what a church would describe as
a standard set of mid-Victorian pews or the
wish to move a font or pulpit. For an amenity
society, moving the lectern two feet to the
north would remove it from its historical
context, while for the project committee, it
was key to being able to install a stage. But
there was also praise for the DAC, English
Heritage and other experts whose advice often
unlocked previously insoluble problems.
The 25 churches described in Churches
for Communities illustrate a range of solutions
in terms of their physical transformations.
The projects ranged in cost from £100,000 to
over £1 million and from major re-orderings
of the interior to housing new facilities in
an extension to fitting the new facilities in
the base of a tower or at the end of an aisle.
Some churches, often those which had been
sub-divided in the 1970s or 1980s, wished to
return to a single architectural space, while
others wanted to create enclosed zones. Many
kept their pews or retained at least half of
them. Some argued that pews are still the most
efficient way to seat a whole school, for example.
St John the Evangelist, Fernham: view towards the east end
St John the Evangelist, Fernham which now functions as both church and village hall: (left) the view towards the east end with all the pews removed, and (right) the new
facilities at the west end
St Nicholas, Chadlington: the new meeting room in the north transept and the 12 retained pews (All photos by
the author unless otherwise stated)
were being proposed to a sacred place, loved
by its community – even if some rarely crossed
the threshold. Change challenges many people’s
expectations of what a church should look like
and PCCs faced genuine concerns and in a
very few cases, hostility. This could come from
within the PCC itself, from the congregation or
very often from the wider community. Many
community members saw pews as essential
to the spiritual atmosphere of the building.
Some feared that the church would turn into
an ‘entertainment centre’, or that installing a
toilet would compromise its essential mystery.
In a small community, any discord can be
painful. Churchwardens and incumbents listened,
talked things through, arranged visits to other
projects and amended proposals. Some, faced with
high bills and possible closure, felt they had to take
a decision even if, at times, it felt a lonely one.
There can also be a difficulty in visualising
what the resulting building will look like,
especially for those not used to looking at
plans. Changes to fittings and furnishings
can also have unforeseen impacts on the
appearance and atmosphere of the space.
For example, at St Nicholas, Chadlington
(Grade II*), the intention was to retain all the
pews in line with the strong local opposition
to a proposal to replace them with a more
flexible seating system. However, when
members of the PCC visited the church
between the completion of the underfloor
heating installation and the new floor being
laid, there was a surprising change of heart.
According to the Revd Mark Abrey, ‘the two
members of the PCC who had been most
adamant that the pews must be retained came
and said that, actually, the space looks so
beautiful, can we just put back six pews each
side of the centre of the nave?’ This was agreed,
