Faculty granted for £1m re-ordering program of works, including removal of pews, creation of vestry and office in chapel, heating, lighting, drainage and other internal works.

The petition proposed various items of reordering, including the replacement of pews with chairs, audio-visual facilities and a frameless glass door. The Victorian Society became a party opponent, objecting to the removal of pews from the nave. The Chancellor accepted the view of Counsel for the Society that the removal of the pews would result in serious harm to the significance of the church, and that therefore the need for change would have to be exceptional. However, the Chancellor was satisfied that the petitioners had set out a convincing case for the changes, and he therefore directed the issue of a faculty including, inter alia, a condition that a scheme should be prepared for adjustment and reuse of some of the pews in the church transepts.

The proposed works included alterations to the baptistry floor to provide a raised floor, level with the octagonal font plinth, and the covering of the raised floor and plinth with carpet tiles. The Chancellor accepted the advantages of having a uniform floor level in the baptistry and granted a faculty for that item and the associated works, which were the mounting of display boards on the three walls surrounding the font and associated lighting.

This was a determination of two faculty petitions in respect of the unlisted church building: (1) the replacement of the organ with a modern instrument, and (2) a major reordering scheme, to incorporate community facilities. The Parochial Church Council was proposing to partly fund the work from the sale of the adjoining dilapidated church hall. There were three parties opponent, including two employees of the Town Council. Faculty granted.

The petitioner sought permission for a memorial consisting of an upright stone and a horizontal slab to mark a family grave containing four interments. This type of memorial was not within the current churchyards regulations, but there were other graves with memorials of this type in the churchyard. The Chancellor considered that it was only equitable in the circumstances to grant a faculty.

The petitioners proposed the removal of 15 unfixed and damaged Victorian pine pews with a view to providing more flexible use of the church for family services and community use, the pews to be replaced with 39 wooden chairs with upholstered seats. The Chancellor was satisfied that the petitioners had made a ‘robust justification’ for their proposals and granted a faculty.

The petitioners sought permission to remove four pews from the back of the church, in order to provide more room for the serving of refreshments and for accommodating buggies and wheelchairs. The church is Victorian and unlisted. There was one objector, who did not become a party opponent. The Chancellor, being satisfied that the works were both needed and appropriate, granted a faculty.

The petitioner wished to install in the churchyard a headstone commemorating two members of his family whose ashes were scattered at a local estate. The intention was for the stone to be placed with memorials to other members of the family. The Diocesan Advisory Committee did not recommend the proposal for the following reasons: it was not possible to determine whether the deceased relatives would have wished to have a memorial in the churchyard; available space in this popular area should be retained for graves rather than family memorials; the requested memorial would mark neither a grave nor an interment of cremated remains; and, whilst the proposed memorial was intended to match other family memorials, a new stone and its lettering ‘could be very conspicuous next to its weathered neighbours.’ For these reasons, the Chancellor refused to grant a faculty. He also declined an amended proposal to attach a white marble plaque to an existing family memorial.

The former vicar and wardens wished to dispose of three of the four oak choir stalls and clergy seats removed pursuant to a Faculty granted on 29th September 2004 and to place the fourth stall in the lower vestry. The Chancellor granted a faculty.

The petitioners wished to remove the Victorian pews from a Grade II* listed church and replace them with wooden upholstered chairs. The Victorian Society and Historic England both accepted that the pews were of no particular merit, but objected to them being replaced with upholstered chairs, though they did not wish to be parties opponent. The Chancellor granted a faculty for the removal of the pews, on condition that the replacement chairs should be unupholstered and of a design to be agreed between the petitioners and the Diocesan Advisory Committee, and in default of such agreement to be decided by the Court.