Reordering

The Vicar and Churchwardens wished to carry out an extensive programme of reordering to facilitate the use of the church as a 'Resource Church' capable of reversing church decline in Blackpool, with an emphasis on encouraging young people to attend the church. The Church Buildings Council (CBC) and the Victorian Society (VS) objected to the covering of the Victorian tiled flooring with carpet. The VS also objected to the removal of the canopied pulpit and the lectern. However, neither the CBC nor the VS wished to be parties opponent. The Chancellor was satisfied that, far from causing harm to the significance of the church (which had been dramatically changed by previous reorderings before it was listed), the proposals would enhance the setting, and any harm would be outweighed by public benefits. The Chancellor granted a faculty for all the proposals, with the exception of the lectern, deferring a decision on that item until the reordering of the war memorial chapel was completed, in case the lectern could conveniently be accommodated there.

The petitioners wished to separate the altar from the reredos, modify it, so that it would be free-standing, and move it away from the east end, to enable the priest to celebrate facing west; to relocate the reredos to the link between the church and the church hall ; and to renovate an old table to become a credence table. The Victorian Society objected to the separation of the reredos and altar and proposed re-siting of the reredos. The Church Buildings Council objected to the reredos being placed to the link to the hall. The Chancellor considered that there was a good case for moving the altar to allow west-facing celebration, and also safety benefits for the restricted space in the east end of this small church; also  the scheme would allow the retention, rather than disposal, of the reredos. There would also be the benefit of exposing the original stained glass window hidden by the reredos. The Chancellor therefore granted a faculty.

The petition proposed a ramped access at the entrance to the church, a kitchenette at the west end of the church and the erection of a single storey extension to house a WC. Four individuals presented written objections, but the Diocesan Advisory Committee, Historic Buildings and Places and the Church Buildings Council approved of the proposals. The Chancellor was satisfied that the petitioners had presented a sufficiently good case for the proposals and he accordingly granted a faculty.

The Team Rector and Churchwardens sought a faculty for substantial internal reordering, to create a major transformation of the church's interior, in order to further its mission and community use. Almost half of the judgment deals with the proposal to remove the existing pews and replace them with wooden chairs with padded seats and backs. Other major items considered in detail are the removal of the pulpit, the replacement of the pipe organ with an electronic organ, and the re-siting of the font. The Chancellor was satisfied that the petitioners had made out a good case for all the proposals and granted a faculty.

The petitioners wished to reorder the interior of the church to provide toilets, a kitchen, storage and improved heating. The church was built in 1869 by the architect W. H. Crossland and is Grade II listed. The Parochial Church Council's objective was to ensure that the church stayed open for church and community use and thereby avoided closure. The Chancellor refused to grant a faculty. Notwithstanding the general aspirations of the petitioners,  he considered that the works would result in harm to the significance of this church as a building of special architectural or historic interest, and the petitioners had not produced sufficient substantive evidence of the prospective benefits of the works which might outweigh any harm that might be caused to the historic integrity of the church. 

Removal of plinth beneath font, and repositioning of font to one side at west end of church; church dating from 1913, by John Oldrid Scott; not listed; original font and plinth repositioned in 1962 to current location centrally at west end of nave; relocation would enable use of the west end of the nave for more flexible community uses; plinth said to present trip hazard; health and safety issues considered; Duffield principles considered (Re St Alkmund, Duffield [2013] Fam 158); written objections considered; limited harm occasioned by relocation of font considered to be outweighed by benefits of the proposal; faculty granted.

The Vicar and Churchwardens applied for a faculty to authorise the removal of all of the pews from the chancel and nave of the Grade II church and replace them with 120 wooden upholstered chairs. There were objections to removal of the pews and to replacement chairs being upholstered. The Victorian Society objected to the removal of all the pews and suggested that the existing carpet should be removed. The Chancellor determined that the petitioners had made a good case for the removal of the pews from the nave and for replacement chairs with upholstered seats, but not for the removal of the pews from the chancel. The retention of the pews in the chancel would maintain a discrete formal area, which would not affect the main objective of allowing for much greater flexibility of worship and other events in the nave.

The vicar and churchwardens sought a faculty for the installation of a new audio-visual system in the church. Historic England suggested that a more adaptable and less permanent solution should be adopted, given that "the ever improving nature of audio-visual technology will also mean that these proposed screens will likely need to be replaced in a relatively short period of time". The Chancellor saw no reason to make the petitioners delay the installation of a new system pending new technology and he granted a faculty.

There were two proposals: (1) to replace the existing 20th century brick extension to the north of the church with a new church community hall and (2) various items of reordering inside the church. The Victorian Society  objected to a number of details of the both proposals.The Chancellor granted a faculty the extension and the internal reordering, with the exception of the removal of two pews and the removal and reuse of the stone from the pulpit, for which he did not consider that an adequate case had been made.

This judgment deals with two outstanding matters following the judgment in Re St. John the Evangelist Manthorpe [2019] ECC Lin 4, namely, dismantling of the pulpit and repositioning of the chancel pews. The reason for the repositioning of the chancel pews follows on from the altar rail being moved westwards to allow more ease in administering communion. The Chancellor approved the proposal. However, he did not give permission for the 're-imagining' of the pulpit into two separate tiems, but suggested that the petitioners should take advice about moving the pulpit within the church.