A faculty was sought for the re-ordering of a Grade II* listed church to create more flexible worship and meeting space, including replacing the pews (which had unusual terracotta pew ends) with chairs. The church was one of three ‘terracotta’ churches built by the same Victorian architect in the diocese. The Victorian Society and English Heritage opposed, although did not formally object to, the removal of the pews, arguing that their terracotta features had intrinsic value and made an important contribution to the character of the interior and its terracotta architecture. The faculty was granted as the wholesale retention of the pews was not merited and the petitioners had proved necessity for the proposed changes. The chancellor observed that the pews were of little significance in their own right but had an intrinsic heritage value in their historic environment. It was a condition of the faculty that some pews would be preserved in situ as rare examples of pews with terracotta features finished to resemble timber. [Catherine Shelley]
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