The congregation at St Mary’s who attended the service on Sunday, February 3rd, were the last people to sit in the pews that have been in use since 1862.

On Monday, February 4th the builders moved in to begin removing them and the floors beneath.

There have been at least three different sets of pews since they first appeared at St Mary’s, probably around the time of Henry VIII, but the chairs that will replace them will provide far greater flexibility.

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