UK – Hadleigh church pews replacment with chairs opposed by society

A charity campaigning to preserve historic buildings has hit out at plans to remove pews at Hadleigh’s medieval St Mary’s Church.

Tom Ashley, churches conservation advisor to the Victorian Society, said the group was fighting an application to remove all but eight of the 70 oak pews and replace them with modern chairs.

The Grade I listed church runs an award-winning youth programme called the Porch Project, with some 300 young people attending a twice-a-weekly youth club, and playing for a youth football team.

The Victorian Society says the youth project has plans to remove the pews to make more space for activities such as pool and snooker tables, and that disposing of the pews would be a loss to Hadleigh’s heritage.

via Plans to replace Hadleigh church pews with chairs opposed by society – Community News – Suffolk Free Press.