Antique Church Pew Finds a New Home in our Tea Rooms

Fordham Local History Society has kindly donated a church pew

With our passion for antiques and local history, we are grateful to the Fordham Local History Society for the long-term loan of an antique church pew.

FLHS comes together, exploring and experiencing local, national and international themes, to preserve Fordham’s history for the benefit of the community. In learning about the history of our locality and how it has been shaped by people and events, they hope to preserve the heritage of Fordham and the surrounding area.

The church pew came from All Saints Church in Fordham as pews were removed in 2010 during an internal redesign to boost seating capacity. Some ended up in the homes of parishioners and we are thankful that one has found a home in our tea rooms.

The first record of All Saints Church, Fordham was in 1087 when recorded as a gift from William the Conqueror to the Abbey of Bec in Normandy. It was largely rebuilt in 14th Century; aisles, a porch and tower were constructed and the chancel rebuilt. In 1545, the walls were whitened and some stained glass was removed.

It is likely that the pew dates from 1861 when, prior to the 2010 refitting, a previous restoration was completed. Windows were re-glazed, the floors tiles and pews replaced. At this time William Harvey Herring was the rector and it was the Herring family which gave the money to build the Parish room in Church Road in 1920. This was then placed under the custodianship of St Albans and Chelmsford Church Trust.

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