Brides too wide to walk down the aisle
Parishioners outraged at removal of Victorian pews to accommodate the ‘human form of today’
IT IS meant to be the happiest day of couples’ lives. Yet for some newly-weds in Salisbury, the thought of having to squeeze through the narrow Victorian pews has proved too much.
Now a historic village church has decided to remove wooden pews in an attempt to spare the “embarrassment” of obese and overweight brides and grooms squeezing down the aisles.
In a decision that has prompted outrage among parishioners, 32 Victorian pews have been put up for sale for £200 each as part of alterations to the Grade Ii-listed St Andrew’s Church in Okeford Fitzpaine, Dorset.
The 150-year-old seats will be replaced by modern chairs that can be moved to create space when necessary.
Church authorities have said that replacing the 16 rows of pews would remove the potential embarrassment of overweight couples and that the current pews were ill-suited to the “human form of today”. They also claimed the new seating arrangements would make it easier for wheelchair users and parents with prams as well as enable the congregation to socially distance.
According to a report by the Parochial Church Council, they said: “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. With chairs we would be able to widen the aisle.”
As a result of the report, the pews were listed for sale in the parish magazine as well as on Facebook and will be collected by the buyers next week.
However, the controversy has led to an ongoing row, with claims and counterclaims directed at the rector, the Rev Lydia Cook, and her parishioners.
Among the allegations are that the rector locked parishioners out of the church following protests, which included banners reading “Save the pews from the devil within”.
Ms Cook has also reported a perceived threat of criminal damage to the building to the police.
Helen Sherwood Clinkard, a spokesman for the Save St Andrew’s Pews group, said: “There are about 1,000 people in Okeford Fitzpaine and I would have said three quarters are against what is happening. We were totally unaware about the gutting of the church and the removal of the pews until they were recently listed for sale.
“If you strip out the pews then the soul of the church is gone. I have seen a picture of the chairs that will replace them. They are horrible.
“I wrote to the vicar and she sent me this statement of needs from the PCC. I was gobsmacked when I read some of the reasons. There have been weddings in that church for generations and to my knowledge there has never been an issue before about large people not being able to fit down the aisle.” A spokesman for the Diocese of Salisbury confirmed the aisle within the church was 3ft 8in. He said Ms Cook had received an email that led her to inform police of a possible threat of vandalism to the church, and officers advised her to lock the building. The PCC statement was issued to the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches as part of its request for permission for the pews to be removed to make the church more accessible. The PCC cited an example from another church of a newly-wed couple who were embarrassed because they could not fit side by side in the aisle and they wanted to avoid a similar situation.
The decision to strip out the pews was made following a four-year legal consultation with villagers over changes to the church. In 2016, leaflets were delivered to households in the village and a meeting was held over proposals to install underfloor heating and a lavatory. Objectors claim they were not aware the changes also meant getting rid of the pews until they read an article
‘To my knowledge there has never been an issue before about large people not being able to fit down the aisle’
in the parish magazine last autumn.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Salisbury said that none of the current protesters offered a response to the leaflets detailing plans for the church.
In a statement, the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, said he fully supported the changes: “Churches are community buildings which have to adapt to the needs of the community as those needs change.”