Here comes the bride... oh, she’s too wide! Church removes pews for couples too big to fit down aisle
DOWN the generations, the 700-year- old church in Okeford Fitzpaine has seen brides and grooms of all shapes and sizes walk down the aisle.
And, according to locals, not once has the happy couple struggled to make it to the altar because they were too fat.
But now the 32 Victorian pews of St Andrew’s in the picturesque Dorset village are up for sale to save overweight couples from potential ‘embarrassment’.
It is not a decision that has been met with resounding hallelujahs.
Indeed, outraged parishioners have formed the Save St Andrew’s Pews group and have been holding demonstrations outside the building.
Church authorities have said they plan to remove the 16 rows from the Grade II-listed building and replace them with chairs that can be moved easily to create space when necessary. They said it will also make it easier for disabled people and wheelchair users to access the nave as well as allow the congregation to socially distance.
A report by the Parochial Church Council said the historic pews were no longer suited to the ‘human form of today’.
Referring to another church, it added: ‘We have also had occasions at weddings where the couple have been too large to be able to walk side by side down the aisle.’ The seats have been listed at £200 each in the parish magazine and on Facebook, with the work scheduled to start next week.
The announcement has led to an ugly row between villagers and rector Reverend Lydia Cook.
Parishioners claim she has locked them out of the church after they protested against the decision. One demonstration included a banner that read: ‘Save the pews from the devil within.’
Rev Cook has reported a perceived threat of criminal damage to the building to the police.
Helen Sherwood Clinkard, of Save St Andrew’s Pews, said: ‘The pews are part of the history and heritage of the church. If you strip out the pews then the soul of the church is gone. There have been weddings in that church for generations and... there has never been an issue before about large people not being able to fit down the aisle.’
The decision was made after a four-year legal process and consultation with villagers, which was undertaken by the PCC. The Bishop of Salisbury Nicholas Holtam said: ‘Churches are community buildings which have to adapt to the needs of the community as those needs change.
‘The changes have come after a very wide consultation and ample opportunity over a long period to comment on the proposals.’
‘Not suited to the human form of today’