Not the Comfy Chair! Parishioners Given Spanish ...

W hen the Spanish Inquisition, as reimagined by Monty Pythons Flying Circus, wanted to torture their victims into confessing to heresy there was only one thing for it: to fetch the comfy chair. Now the use of comfortable seating has become a test of orthodoxy in real life after an ecclesiastical court banned the use of padded chairs in a church on the grounds that they were verging on the ungodly. In a formal judgment, the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Coventry, ruled that the use of upholsteryin a historic place of worship could be overly casual and incompatible with a house of God.

P arishioners in the 12th Century Holy Trinity Church in the village of Long Itchington, Warwickshire, applied for a special permission or faculty to replace their woodworm-infested Victorian pews in order to open up the building for childrens groups and other uses. T he judge, the Chancellor of the diocese, Stephen Eyre QC, agreed with a plan to replace them with stackable chairs, ruling that the pews were of little merit historically. But he ordered that any replacement must not be upholstered after heritage groups including the Victorian Society and Historic England objected, arguing that the planned cushioned seating was unworthy for the historic building.

L eading parishioners in the churchhad planned to buy a new set chairs similar to those used in neighbouring parishes and even in Lambeth Palace. They chose wooden chairs with aburgundy coloured built-in cushion,explaining that it would help make the building warm and welcoming. But after receiving objections, Mr Eyre ruled that wooden seats should be comfortable enough, adding thatpadding could look shabby.

And he claimed that, far from being welcoming to visitors, softchairs might even put people off. I accept that the interior appearance of a church should if at all possible not be off-putting to those new to it, he said. However, it is to be remembered that an overly casual appearance can be incompatible with a house of God and can be as unattractive to newcomers as an appearance of excessive rigour.

An emphasis on quality and seemliness is not only appropriate in buildings dedicated to the Glory of God but is also part of what attracts those new to the Church. When considering comfort I must give considerable weight to the expert advice that properly designed unupholstered chairs can be as comfortable as those which are upholstered. B ut Maureen Mitchell, the church warden, said: Manyof the congregation are elderly and they are entitled to comfort now and again.

She explained that the church, which does not have a separate hall, is regularly used for community events, fundraising and special informal childrens services all of which require hauling the heavy pews out of the way. When you go to the other churches in this area they have all got them but the Victorian Society have put their oar in and said no, she said. This is going to knock us right back, where at the moment we are a growing church.

The pews are in a terrible state, they have to be moved which is difficult and they are falling apart. We have got two [wooden] chairs in the church at the moment on loan which the congregation are testnig to see which they prefer. We are getting mixed reviews on both of them, I think theyve all got their heart set on these padded chairs and now we cant have them.

S he explained that the two church wardens had been left to manage the complicated application process as the parish currently has no vicar after the previous incumbent retired more than a year ago. We have been doing this [process] now for two years, it has been a bit of a nightmare," she said. Apparently theyre not going to allow any church now to have padded seats, at least thats what theyve said to us.

Certainly within the diocese thats what we have been led to believe no more padded chairs. An official in the diocese said that while there was no blanket ban, the use of upholstered chairs in historic churches would be discouraged. Telegraph Media Group Limited 2019 Need help?

Visit our adblocking instructions page.