Chancel & Sacristy

The communion rail, which cordons off the sacristy, is original and made from mahogany with turned balusters alternately fluted and un-fluted.

 

The Altar or Holy Table is an early 20th Century replacement of the original, approved in 1911 after it was described as 'dilapidated' in Faculty papers.  The blue and red encaustic tiled platform upon which it is raised also dates from this time and is situated over the original stone floor.

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The area in front of the sacristy was originally where the large triple-decker pulpit once stood.  Larger 'family' pews, the best seats in the house and where VIP's would sit, occupied the area in front of the pulpit.  They were each flanked either side by more elaborately carved mahogany side pieces symbolising their greater importance.  Later converted to form choir stalls situated collegiate style on either side, originally there were three rows each side where now only one remains.  The remainder were dismantled and now languish in pieces in both stairwells.

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At the same time of the installation of the choir stalls, small rooms were created behind forming chapels within the main body of the nave doubling as draught lobbies.  Known as the Memorial Room on the north side and the Cliffe Room on the south.  Today we use the Cliffe Room as an exhibition space and the Memorial Room as the children's area, which also houses the pieces of the Edwardian pulpit.