Reordering

A faculty petition relating to a proposed reordering was dismissed on the basis that the petitioners had failed to comply with the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules, in particular with regard to not giving proper notice of the proposals.

The proposals for the Grade I listed church included the removal of the fixed pews in the nave, north aisle and choir, and their replacement with new moveable pew benches; also, the installation of underfloor heating. The Commissary General granted a faculty, but expressed concern that a contract had been signed with the contractor before the petition had been referred to her.

It was proposed to create space in the nave, to allow for a wide range of worship, social and cultural activities in the Grade I church. The works included removing 17 pews (some from the nave and some from the Lady Chapel); levelling the floor; moving the font from near the south door to the Lady Chapel; improving the layout of the chancel by the removal of some of the pews; removal of the 1944 communion rail; conversion of the Lady Chapel altar to allow the storage of altar linen; and the creation of new cupboard storage space. The Chancellor was not satisfied that a good case had been made for the moving of the font from near the south door, nor for removing the pews from the Lady Chapel, but he granted a faculty for the other items.

The vicar and churchwarden sought a faculty for an extension to the north side of the church and the construction of a new car park. The proposed extension would house a small kitchen and lavatory facilities. There would also be level access for the disabled from the new car park. The Chancellor granted a faculty, being satisfied that "the public benefit would outweigh the measurable, though not serious, harm that will result."

The proposal was to build an extension on the north side of the Grade II* church, linked by a corridor, to provide toilets, a kitchen and a community room/classroom. The Deputy Chancellor determined that a good case has been made for the proposed extension and that the public benefits of the proposals were sufficient justification, despite the harm to the significance of the Grade II* listed building.

A major reordering was proposed for the city centre church, which was in poor repair and little used, with a view to improving it for worship and attracting more community use. The works proposed a new entrance into the High Street (making it more accessible - the existing access being from Fish Street), replacing the kitchen, floor levelling, underfloor heating, new lighting and a new extension to house new toilets. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Victorian Society questioned the need to remove the east window for the insertion of the new doorway. The Chancellor considered, however, that a new large entrance would require the existing window opening and the stone panel beneath. He granted a faculty for all the works. He was satisfied that the works would "meet a clearly identified need, and that this outweighs any incidental loss of historic fabric or significance that may occur."

The Church of St. Helens is a very large church in the centre of the town, capable of seating 800 people. It was built in the 1920s and is listed Grade II. The petition proposed the permanent removal of 5 pews from the front of the  nave and 12 pews from the rear. Authority had previously been given by Archdeacon's Licence for the removal of the pews on a temporary basis. The reason given for the proposals was to provide more flexible space for church and community use. The Chancellor granted a faculty, being satisfied that the removal of such a relatively small proportion of the pew seating would not cause great harm to the church as a building of special architectural or historic interest.

The petitioners wished to remove fifteen free-standing pews from the unlisted Victorian church and replace them with timber framed upholstered chairs, in order to provide a felxible space within the nave. The Chancellor granted a faculty. The pews did not appear to have any particular architectural or historical significance, and any harm caused by their removal was easily outweighed by the significant benefit which would be gained in having a modern flexible worship space.

The petition sought approval for the removal of eleven pews from the back of the church (leaving five rows at the front) and their replacement with fifty metal, upholstered chairs and a number of tables with folding legs. The Victorian Society objected to the removal of the pews (or so many of them) and the replacement chairs. The Chancellor decided to permit the removal of only seven pew benches and the introduction of only 30 chairs and eight tables, the design of the chairs to be agreed with the Diocesan Advisory Committee and, in default of such agreement, by the Chancellor.

The petitioners proposed to remove the church's pipe organ (built in 1878), leaving the front of the casing and its decorative pipes, and to install an electronic organ within the old casing. The organ had not been regularly used for many years and was considered difficult to play. Also, the estimated cost of restoration of the organ was beyond the means of the Parochial Church Council. The space created by the removal of the organ would provide for a vestry and storage room. The British Institute of Organ Studies argued that the casing was an integral part of the organ and that the two should not be separated, though in fact the casing, which matched panels in the church, was a later addition in 1925. The Deputy Chancellor granted a faculty.