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Ship of Fools: Bath Abbey, Bath, Somerset, England
The Mystery Worshipper
Shipmate
Ship of Fools: Bath Abbey, Bath, Somerset, England
Well sung evensong – but oh, those chairs!
Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here
Comments
The fact that the Abbey got a grant from the national lottery (the UK government's tax on the stupid) to change the seating somehow makes it even worse.
This, and your report, rather confirms my feeling that Bath Abbey is all for the tourists and concerts - not religion at all. You may be right that the CofE is in terminal decline (I am not so sure). But in 2019 it is still a church and it might stave off oblivion if its places of worship looked more like places of worship.
All the things you cite were fashionable in their day.
In some places pews are a 'recent' addition in that they have been there since the Reformation. Before that there were often pews or rather 'seatings' but they reflected class status. The poor had primitive benches without backs whilst the middle and upper classes had more comfortable arrangements or even their own private enclosures. The Victorians—bless 'em—were very hot on sweeping away such class distinctions and the pews that once adorned Bath Abbey should been seen as a triumph for an inclusive attitude to church worship. Firm, immovable pews are also hugely more welcoming to those who are unsteady on their feet.
I think it's a mistake to suggest that any particular type of seating is integral to a place of worship looking like a place of worship - Orthodox churches for instance have no seats at all (except for a few benches around the outside) and everyone but those unable to do so stands for the whole service, but it would be silly to say that Orthodox churches don't look like places of worship.