St Pauls Cathedral - Chairs Not Pews

[Smowball]

Anybody know why It has chairs and not traditional pews??

[hellywelly4]

Most cathedrals do, I think. It's easier then to use the buildings for different purposes.

[Old_Geezer]

When are they ever clearing the area ? And for what; a Cathedral themed barn dance ? :-)

[B00]

Different purposes? Like a Metallica concert? ;-)

[237SJ]

A lot of churches/places of worship have done away with the pews these days

[EDDIE51]

Easier to rearrange the seating according to what is happening.
Many events / services only use part of the building.

[Mamyalynne]

I agree with the above replies re flexibility etc.

Interesting article on the matter here.
http://grahamtomlin.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/end-of-pew.html

[Buenchico]

From a schools' information sheet issued by the Cathedral:
"St Paul’s is often nicknamed ‘the Nation’s Church’. Many National services are held here each year. These are often held to celebrate or remember special events in the country. Drama, dance, debates and concerts often take place here too"
https://www.stpauls.co.uk/documents/Education/All%20About_the_Cathedral.pdf
So using chairs, instead of pews, will offer greater flexibility in the seating arrangements.

Further, if there will be a 'full house' for an important state occasion, it's better to have individual seats for each dignitary (rather than, as sometimes happens at weddings, fifteen people trying to squeeze into a pew intended for 10 people while there's still plenty of space a few pews further back). 'Reserved seats' are often needed for such occasions; it's far easier to achieve that with individual chairs, rather than long pews.

Lastly, the slight curvature of the seats (and their backs) will make them rather more comfortable than pews (as anyone who's ever sat through a lengthy performance of Handel's Messiah in a church can testify!).

[237SJ]

I prefer churches that have fixed pews. Not that I`m religious but I remember trying to persuade my Mum to go to a Christmas Eve service in the local church. She wouldn`t go because she wanted a stable pew that she could hold on to whilst trying to position herself into the seat. She couldn`t do that with the chairs. I think a lot of churches have sold off their pews

[Smowball]

Fascinating x