Superior Seats - the story of seating in churches

Superior Seats - the story of seating in churches

By John Vigar

Nothing demonstrates the social history of England as well as the changes that have taken place in our churches over the last 1500 years.

Date and time

Location

Online

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Highlights

  • 1 hour
  • Online

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event

About this event

This lecture looks at the story of church seating through the centuries from the solid stone benches that made the `weak go to the wall` to the monumental private pews that still dominate some church interiors.

Seating in churches is a much more varied subject then one might suspect. The medieval clergy originally had stalls and sedilia in the chancels of our churches, whilst the laity only occasionally had elaborate benches – the type of seat we associate with churches today – the bench or pew – only really dates from the nineteenth century. In this fascinating and ground breaking lecture we discover the periods when you couldn’t attend church without paying for your seat; when box pews went with your house; and how the clues are there to help us understand the most private aspect of public worship.

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£6.13
Oct 9 · 11:00 AM PDT