Bench Ends – Photograph (PWDRO 244/5); date unknown
This set of seven bench ends are of a rather understated but beautifully carved design. The photograph appears to be annotated ‘Stoke Newington London’ at the top but ‘Newington London’ at the bottom. The church of St Mary, Stoke Newington, has similar, but not identical, bench ends (Mark Perrett, administrator, pers. comm.) and St Matthias, Stoke Newington, suffered severe damage in WWII and the current benches bear no resemblance to those in the Pinwill photograph (stmchurch.co.uk). St Mary’s, Newington, was burnt out in 1941 and rebuilt in 1958 (achurchnearyou.com). The conclusion must be that these bench ends no longer exist and that their intended location may never be ascertained.
Sources
PWDRO 244/5 Photograph Album. Various. Woodcarvings.