Churchgoers ‘care more about pews than religion’

Clerical judge accuses the middle classes of putting heritage above needs of congregations

MIDDLE-CLASS churchgoers are obsessed with pews and heritage at the expense of religious belief, a Church of England judge has said.

Ruling that a Victorian church could remove its pews as part of a £2 million overhaul, the chancellor of the Diocese of Gloucester said the plans had been blocked by “architectural purists” who cared more about the appearance of the church than its religious purpose.

The congregation of St Philip and St James in Cheltenham had waged a 17year battle with conservationists over plans to build glass “pods” for meeting rooms and install underfloor heating.

Chancellor June Rodgers warned that the congregation’s wishes were being blocked by “professional objectors” who “can be indifferent to the actual use of a church” but who are “besotted with the purity/rareness/example of a particular architect.

“Artistic heritage, on occasions, can appear to become [a] professional middle-class substitute for religious observance or belief,” she said in her ruling.

“Actually much of what is being proposed is fairly non-controversial, save, perhaps, to architectural purists.”

Parishioners supporting the changes argued “that pews have stolen the Church of England from the people of England, creating often empty spaces and a requirement for church halls”.

They wanted a “flexible hospitable space, without pews,” for “banquets, exhibitions, concerts, workshops, a café or a temporary night shelter”.

The decision comes amid a wider, nationwide debate about the purpose of church buildings with reformist efforts clashing with conservation groups.

Bath Abbey won a case against The Victorian Society last year allowing it to proceed with a £19.3 million project to remove the pews and restore a collapsing floor so it could host art exhibitions and cake stalls.

The Victorian Society was also the most entrenched objector to the changes at St Philip and St James.

The charity described it as a building “in peril”, and James Hughes, senior conservation adviser, denied it was a question of “middle-class objectors”.

“Most of the main heritage bodies have released quite significant concerns,” he said. “The judgment doesn’t really address the issue of need and necessity. The parish doesn’t lay out why such intrusive and harmful proposals are needed.”

The Rev Nick Davies, priest in charge of St Philip and St James, expressed frustration that the case had consumed the tenures of his four predecessors. “We are the ones who live in this community, have a vision for the future and pay the bills,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“Conservation organisations can end up undermining the very thing that they are working toward, which is opening up access to these buildings.”