Take a pew

SIR – I was furniture adviser to the Lichfield diocesan advisory committee for a number of years, and if a good case were made for removing the pews from a place of worship (Letters, December 27) I would support it.

In my local church, Yoxall, we removed some pews at the back to make space for social interaction. The pews have been used to construct a meeting room and children’s area with glass windows and a ceiling. In the main body of the church, pews now have soft, foam-covered cushioning. Everyone is happy. Peter Stone

Yoxall, Staffordshire

SIR – For many years the parishioners of St Hieritha’s Church in Chittlehampton, Devon, debated the merits of taking out some of the pews in their beautiful church in order to provide more space for social events.

In 1998, high winds caused two pinnacles of the church tower to collapse, totally destroying the pews in question. Clearly the Almighty had been listening. Hugh Priestley

Stanford Dingley, Berkshire