Cathedral replaces Victorian pews with new chairs

Individual seating has replaced pews at St Edmundsbury Cathedral

A cathedral has installed individual seats for its congregation, having removed its Victorian pews.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, removed its traditional seating in February.

The new chairs have been made from European oak and are designed to link together and stack away, providing a more versatile space.

Canon Philip Banks said: "We wanted seating for a new generation that was flexible, that would allow us to put on a whole variety of different events."

The 'Edmund Chairs' were designed to be "subservient" to the cathedral's architecture

The 'Edmund Chairs' can be easily rearranged, allowing the cathedral to host a range of events, including private prayer, meetings, concerts, educational assemblies and tours.

They were created by Luke Hughes & Co and were designed to be "practical, long-lasting and subservient to the architecture".

The Very Reverend Joe Hawes said: "Chairs were part of the original design concept of Stephen Dykes Bower when he began as cathedral architect in 1943, so to fulfil his vision for the cathedral 80 years later is a great thing."

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The cathedral partnered with RoughStuff to repurpose the old pews, which dated back to the mid-1800s.

The organisation works closely with HMP The Mount in Hertfordshire to provide skills to inmates.

Founder Matt Cannon said: "There has been plenty of additional wood left over and this is being taken to the prison workshop to be turned into chopping boards, coffee tables, bookends and coasters, allowing individuals to own part of St Edmundsbury Cathedral."

Mr Cannon said it also helps inmates, giving them "pride in what they are doing and this can be the first part of reintroducing them into the world of work".