Church beauty thrown out with the bathwater
SIR – I am one of the churchgoers at the church of St Philip and St James in Cheltenham, which is soon to have its pews removed as part of its refurbishment (Letters, August 29).
I, for one, appreciate the fine interior of this church building as both beautiful and inspiring, providing a sacred space conducive to worship and prayer.
In her judgment (report, August 21), a 22-page document, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Gloucester affirms that she “must start from the strong presumption against changes which would detrimentally affect the special architectural character or historic interest of a listed building”.
The Chancellor states that many “consider that the architectural heritage of the Church of England should not be thrown out with the bathwater to facilitate changing and ephemeral liturgical fashion”. Rather than belittling the views of objectors, she gives them due deference and considers that “letters received from parishioners are heartfelt and thoughtful”, while “objectors have provided balanced objections”.
The alterations originally proposed are extensive, including the addition of an atrium containing a lift to the added first floor, the creation of glass pods on the ground in the side aisles and above each as a first floor, the addition of a glass screen between the Memorial Chapel and the chancel, a raised floor, insertion of underfloor heating and changes to the crypt, as well as removal of all of the pews, each of which has a unique and intricately carved panel at each end. While most of these changes are reversible, the last one is not.
The Chancellor herself notes that “this church has an active and vibrant congregation”, of whom nearly a third were noted in a survey to consider removal of the pews to be “disastrous or unnecessary”. Those petitioning for the reordering have yet to provide evidence to the contrary. Hilary J Saxby Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
SIR – To address the problem of unforgiving pews, churches should do what we at St Dunstan’s have done and put cushions on them – much more comfortable than a hard wooden chair.
The big advantage of pews is that they allow more people to be accommodated, especially children. David Riddick Cranbrook, Kent