Why churches choose free space over pews

sir – Mike Fleet (Letters, December 27) needs to understand that the primary reason for removing pews in churches is not that they are uncomfortable.

With declining congregations and therefore income, many churches have no option but to increase the use of the building if it is to survive. Removing pews makes the building much more flexible.

While I personally remain neutral on this subject – each parish must make the most appropriate decision – I do recognise that, before Victorian times, many churches had pews only in the chancel. The nave was an open space, meaning it could be used for many varied activities. So in some cases, removing pews is no more than a “back to the future” move. Andrew Robinson

Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire

sir – It is not only Bath Abbey’s pews that are under threat. The Victorian box pews with carved poppy ends in our church may also be ripped out. It seems that, when it comes to church property, being Grade II* listed offers no protection. In other circumstances such objects could not be touched.

The pews in our church are part of our village heritage. If they are removed, generations to come will wonder why this act of cultural vandalism was allowed to happen. Joanna Owens

Bovingdon, Hertfordshire

sir – My bureau was carved by a carpenter who used a piece of oak from the old organ in Durham Cathedral to make the lid (Letters, December 27).

My grandfather purchased it when he married my grandmother in 1905. The interior is crude, but the exterior is an interesting and beautiful one-off. The door includes a small ribboned carving reading VR 1897, so I presume it was made at the time of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Mary Robinson

Durham