St Mary's is transformed

Derek Whitehouse documented the change from the tired Victorian seats to the bright comfortable ones put in place on Friday via a spring clean of the building.

The Rev Peter Hooper, curate at St Mary's, said: "It is far more of an improvement to the building than we could possibly have imagined. The red fabric of the chairs really enhances the feel and warmth of the building. It already has a sense of opening up the building, especially in the south transept.

"It was very well received by the congregation. Everyone was really amazed at how much lighter the place is thanks to the new chairs compared with the dark wood before."

The new crop of chairs is part of a major overhaul of the inside of the landmark, the first since the old seats were installed in 1890 by the then curate, another Rev Hooper.

The next stage will see the organ console replaced at a cost of 53,000, 23,000 of which has already been raised.

Anyone interested in seeing the transformation can visit St Mary's from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday.

PHOTOS BY DEREK WHITEHOUSE