St Mary’s Church, Twickenham

Richard Griffiths won an invited competition for the reordering of this fine church by John James of 1713, replacing the Victorian pews with oak benches facing inwards towards the three foci of altar, lectern and candle placed along the main E-W axis.

In the first phase of implementation the choir stalls were replaced by a new platform replicating the square black and white marble tiles, albeit on the diagonal.

The second phase has replaced the nave pews with beautiful wide oak floorboards, exposing the fine cast iron columns that were previously hidden.

The reordering allows greater appreciation of John James’ architecture, and allows the church to be used much more flexibly by the congregation and wider community.