Pews move back into churches after plastic seat 'horror' Supporters of controversial "reordering" schemes point out that medieval churches did not originally have fixed seating. But opponents say some of the modern chairs which have often taken their place destroy the historic atmosphere. Now English Heritage has stepped in with a solution which could avert unite warring parishes. In new guidelines published last month the agency has given its backing to the introduction of portable pews. Church of England guidance now also encourage the use of portable pews where possible. Luke Hughes, a furniture designer who came up with the idea of a stacking pew 12 years ago, said the official approval represented a breakthrough. Mr Hughes, a trained cabinet maker who has refitted a string of cathedrals and historic churches in recent years, describes the result of some reordering schemes as "horrors." He singles out the fashion for "electric blue tweed coverings" for particular criticism. "The truth of the matter is that church chairs are diminishing some of the greatest architectural designs of all time," he said. I studied architectural history and I couldn't bear what was happening to a lot of those church interiors. In just over a decade he has installed his stackable pews in around 90 churches - almost half of them within the last three or four years. He jokingly estimates that he his form has saved the Church from 2,000 plastic chairs in that time. A clutch of other companies also deign and sell traditional style pews which can be removed for modern purposes. "It gives churches a flexible approach which doesn't interfere with the architecture but allows the community use which they have always longed for and enables them to reintegrate the church as part of the community whether or not they worship there," he said. Recently local church authorities themselves have been behind the shift, encouraging parishes to consider pews rather than chairs. "We are getting a lot of referrals from the dioceses saying you don't have to just rip out the pews and put in horrible chairs there is an alternative," he said. They want to make the place feel like a church not like a motorway service café.