Good Bye to the pews!

This morning (Sunday 3rd February) was the last time that members of our congregation will sit in the pews that have been in use since 1862. Tomorrow the builders move in to begin removing them and the floors beneath.

This is the end of an era. We don’t know when pews first appeared at St Mary’s, probably around the time of Henry VIII and we know that there have been at least three different lots over that time. This year we move on again and the chairs that will replace them will provide far greater flexibility and allow us to appreciate the medieval building currently obscured at ground level.

There are still just a few pews up for grabs if you’d like one. There is also a large pile of embroidered kneelers, free to a good home, by the entrance to the Markye Chapel – please help yourself to some.

You can find out more about all this at https://reordering.org.