Victorian Pews for sale!

The pews in St Mary's Church will be removed first when the re-ordering work begins. These will be replaced with chairs, so is there anyone out there who would interested in having one of these lovely, pine pews for their home or garden? Currently there are 32 in total and 12 have already been reserved, with another 3 possibles.

The pews come in three sizes 2.1m, 2.3m & 2.7 metres and have ends on both sides.

We are asking £50 for each one to assist with our fund-raising. You will need to have your own transport and be able to collect your pew(s) as soon as possible after removal.
Please give me, Pat Brown, a call if you would like to reserve one or more on Tel: 01509 820094.

The work so far....

Over the past four years, discussions have been going on to improve the facilities at St Mary's for the 21st century, and to improve the church's mission to the community. This subject has been raised over the decades too, as there was a plan put forward in the 1970's. It is quite a challenge as parts of the church go back to Saxon times, and it is situated in a conservation area. Various ideas have been shared and proposed over the years. After visiting several other churches who have undergone re-ordering and more discussions, a proposal was put to the congregation. A great deal of anxiety and stress has also been shared in order to do things right too! The outcome was that English Heritage and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, plus Rushcliffe Borough Council refused to permit any building outside the church. However, they would allow alterations internally, subject to being removable if required, without damaging the fabric of the church in the future. The proposal is to have an accessible toilet with baby changing facilities, plus a small tea-bar to provide drinks after services. These facilities will then comply with the Disability Act and the Health and Safety regulations. Due to the deterioration of the multi-level floor causing several trip hazards, the decision was taken to level the floor throughout the nave up to the chancel, thus removing the pews, the antiquated, inadequate heating system and installing under floor heating. The pews would be replaced by chairs. The changes have caused some exchanges of different views, and as ever the result is a compromise, which it is hoped everyone will be pleased with and will find welcoming. Following all the advice and procedures set out by the Diocese, and taking advice from the experts who are too many to mention, the Faculty was received from the Chancellor of the Diocese in June. Four contractors recommended by the Diocesan Advisory Committee have sent in their tender for the work. These were received on Tuesday, July 18th 2007 and are now being considered. Work continues to plan for the safe storage of the contents of the church.

July 23rd 2007

This is the first of many entries to keep you up to date with St Mary's Church re-ordering, which includes: Levelling the floor, installing under floor heating, removing the pews and replacing with new chairs. We are also planning to install an accessible toilet and baby changing facility and a small tea bar.