Inside the church

Lecterns

What is believed to be the original, nicely carved, Victorian lectern
has had to be put to one side for the time being. The problem is
simply that it is too high for the less tall members of the
congregation to read from with any degree of success or audibility.
The new one is a great deal more practical than the old one, but is
a good deal less impressive in terms of craftsmanship. The old
lectern may be found in the chancel. When the pews extended
almost up to the sanctuary, the lectern stood in the old chancel, at
the foot of the altar steps.

Chancel Arch

This plain, but finely proportioned, arch bridges the principal aisle, at the east end of the choir. It would,
conventionally, separate the congregation, in the nave, from the clergy and choir, in the chancel. In our
case, the vicar's stall. and the choir stalls, now stand in an area which once was filled with pews, thereby
forming part of the nave. So the chancel arch now gives the impression of having been sited too far
towards the sanctuary. Also, the arch is not immediately above the chancel step. This is because the
chancel was lengthened by about four feet in 1926 to provide just a little extra room. At the same time,
the sanctuary was increased slightly in depth by eliminating the top altar step and making the three
remaining ones steeper. The chancel and north-east corner of the nave were affected by subsidence
between 1860 and 1895, and some repair work had to be put in hand. It was in 1894 that the tie bar was
inserted through the very top of the chancel arch.

In mediaeval times, the chancel was reserved exclusively for the priest, deacons, and servers, whilst the
congregation remained in the nave. The division was marked by a single step - called the chancel step.
A physical barrier, in the form of a wooden screen - sometimes seen as a fine example of the carver's
craftsmanship - and often known as a rood screen, was provided to exclude people, and roaming
animals, from the chancel.

Stalls

When the church was built, the priest's prayer desk, with the simple deal chairs provided for the choir,
and the lectern, used to stand in the area between the chancel step and altar steps. Because of the
unavoidable crush resulting from this arrangement, it was decided to provide extra space. The existing
furniture was installed in 1914, and was paid for by Samuel Lee Smith, a local landowner, and church
benefactor. Although it was necessary to remove up to six rows of pews to accommodate the new
stalls, the clearing of the chancel made a vast improvement to its appearance.

Organ

The present, two manual, instrument was built by Monk & Gunther. It
was purchased in 1926, at a cost of Ł 375, which was raised by
public subscription. It replaced a single manual instrument, built by
A. Pease, which was installed in April 1902, at a cost of Ł 96.
Before that, a harmonium was used, and it is believed that this was
the original musical instrument, provided when the church was
consecrated in 1854. The original organ stood at right angles to the
position of the present one, so that the organist sat with his back to
the congregation. The positioning of the new organ was such that
advantage could be taken of the space on its west side to create
the Side chapel.