As mentioned in my comment following the previous post, I rang the local authority's conservation section, hoping to learn something of the background to the decision to get rid of the old pews at the Grade II* listed church of St Gregory the Great in Cheltenham.
Yesterday morning I received a telephone call from the officer who deals with the town's listed buildings. It was a very interesting and informative conversation.
Before approaching the council, I had read the text of the English Heritage listing for St Gregory's, and also, by way of comparison, for the nearby Anglican parish church of Cheltenham (St Mary's - a mediaeval gem). When I saw that the Victorian pews were mentioned in the listing for St Mary's , but not in the listing for St Gregory's, I assumed that this was decisive. But not so, it seems. The listed buildings officer said that in considering what may or may not be done to listed churches and their contents, the pews do not have to be mentioned in the text in order to be included in the listing.
As with other denominations, the Catholic Church has an element of exemption from the legislation, in that it has its own internal system for applications and approvals in regard to repair or restoration work in its listed churches. In such cases, however, both the local authority and English Heritage are usually consulted.
The listed buildings officer knew nothing about the removal of the pews until she saw the article in Wednesday's Gloucestershire Echo.
I don't expect to learn anything more about these events, unless a further news item appears in the Echo; or, of course, if the pews suddenly reappear in the church - which seems unlikely. All I know is that the officer said she was about to make a number of telephone calls.
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4 comments:
As you learned the Church does indeed have its own forum for dealing with such matters. It is the Historic Churches Committee- a statutory body- which is responsible to the bishop. Sometimes dioceses will operate jointly in this respect but I suggest that you check your diocesan directory and enquire further. It is possible that the Parish Priest has obtained a faculty for the replacement of the pews- in which case the HCC, which will include architects, historians, artists and conservation experts will have considered the application carefully before giving the go ahead.Sadly, however, there are occasions where Parish Priests fail to follow the proper procedure. In such cases it does no harm to advise the HCC who may be able to intervene before more damage has been done.
I occasionally attended mass at St Gregory's back in the mid 1970s and recall the church fondly. My recollection is of the English Benedictines who had reordered the church in what seemed to me a sensitive manner.
Thank you, Patricius, for that interesting comment. I'm not planning to take any further action; I'll leave that to the listed buildings officer, who appeared to have quite a strong view of the matter.
Well done for getting involved - but watch your back!
Advice noted, Ttony! Not being a parishioner, and having my blood pressure to consider, I feel I can do no more than I have done. It may be, of course, that others are on the case, as the listed buildings officer herself appears to be.
Distressed as I was, my approach to the local authority was born simply of a desire to learn the reasons for the decision from an independent source. It wasn't intended as a complaint. I assumed that the disposal of the pews was a fait accompli. Imagine my surprise when she told me she had known nothing about it!
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