GREAT Malvern Priory is back in business this weekend after three months of major building works. 

The ancient church is set to be fully re-opened in time for the Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations.

The church was closed for morning services while builders removed the Victorian floor pew plinths which had been a trip hazard since the platforms were installed in the 1860s.

They have now created a flat nave surface in the main area of the nave floor and installed eco-friendly under floor heating.

The Priory has been open for smaller services as usual throughout the flooring project but the main Sunday morning worship has taken place in the chapel at Malvern College.

The Easter Sunday service, which usually attracts more than 200 people, is one of the most important in the year.

The Rev Rod Corke, vicar of Malvern, said: “We are delighted to welcome people back into the Priory just in time for Easter.

“We are very grateful to Malvern College for allowing us to use their chapel every Sunday but there’s no place like home.’

The Friends’ shop was also closed for the duration but will soon be reinstated.

This project is believed to be a first. A suspended floor with underfloor heating was installed in the medieval building, carefully preserving its integrity and appearance.  Traditional carpentry techniques were used to construct the new floor and these were married to hi-tech modern machinery.   

The plinth existed because Sir George Gilbert Scott installed the timber pew plinths in 1863, with the intention of then installing pews.  However, funds ran out before the pews could be ordered so individual seats were installed instead.

The contractors have had their challenges. During the removal of the old flooring, they found a human jaw bone lying on the top of the trampled mortar.  They also exposed two small areas of the medieval footings.   These will probably remain permanently exposed for the benefit of the 40,000 or so Priory visitors.

The 160-year-old oak joists which were removed have not gone entirely to waste. Various members of the Priory family will be putting the wood to good use, including making handcrafted wooden crosses and nightlight holders which will be on cash sale (proceeds to the floor fund) after 10.30am services during April. 

The vicar, the Rev Rod Corke said: “The contractors have been excellent and very accommodating to our needs for quiet periods during their working week.  And, they have been well fed on homemade cakes provided twice weekly by the Priory’s volunteer Benedictine Bakers!

“Donations toward the cost of the floor are still very welcome, and we thank the various external grant bodies that have generously given.”

The Easter morning service takes place at 10.30am. It will be preceded, as usual, by the annual dawn service on Malvern Hills at 6am.