Just going to quote from the Parsons Handbook here...
"Pews are by no means a Protestant invention, and in some ways they are better than chairs. They should, however, always be low (not more than 2 feet 8 inches high), and the alleys both in aisles and nave should be much wider than usual. There are a good many old churches in England which show the mediaeval arrangement of low pews."
Pews ought not to be padded (it ruins the acoustics of the nave) but pillows/cushions should be made available for those who might require them. Pews should include kneelers and be spaced appropriately to allow for their use.
I attend a historic parish, an old one by American standards (200+ years) although the actual building is newer. It is designed in a neo-gothic style. The oldest stained glass is from the original building I believe and also over 200 years old and still looks brand new to me. After a hurricane blew through there was a palpable sigh of relief they were not damaged as they are irreplacable and handmade. (Is that true of all stained glass?) We were most worried about the huge Marian window with Jesus over the altar because of its position relative to the wind and debree. When the days are shorter the sun is still rising at the early service and beams of sunlight bathe the altar, an especially poignant moment when I first saw this occur during the consecration at an ad orientem 1928 service.
We do have carpeting, but the pews are low and wooden, not padded, very beautiful dark wood and kneelers. To me they are extremely comfortable and relaxing physically, symbolically, and aesthetically. I've never heard older members complain about comfort, but perhaps our elderly people are less wont to complain. I saw a recently deceased woman in our parish a couple of years before she died arrive early for a Holy Week service. She came in on a walker, then proceeded to kneel for over half an hour. She always cracked me up. At a labrynth walk hosted by a church friend she sat watching, then turned to me and said, "The beach is as good as that thing!" No one ever seemed offended; I always found her amusingly honest. I guess she wanted to be polite so she adds in the guest book, "A very spiritual experience!" She looked bored out of her mind to me, ha!
As to padded pews, I guess they are all different, but I visited a church with some and they were terribly uncomfortable. I moved to rest on the arm as I am accustomed and nearly fell on the floor because there wasn't one and the clergy person was laughing! So embarrassing. The kneelers were unattached too and so hard after about thirty seconds my legs were shaking. The kneelers at my parish are padded, so I guess we conceded on that, but so much less awkward to use when attached.
I never gave much thought to padded pews, but I am happy with what we have. I wouldn't be adverse to providing cushions for our elderly. I would especially dislike chairs - as commented above I find them less practical in terms of seating, less comfortable, more restrictive. And they just don't have the same associations for me as pews. I have perhaps seen only one church without them. Seems secular and looks like a theatre to me with a stage upfront. It wasn't a liturgical church, but definitely not my thing.
If the Eucharist or Office is being held in an unusual area for special circumstances as was the case when I visited the Rocky Mountains in Colorado I am not so uncomfortable with chairs or a less "churchy" look. We made do with what we had, and I didn't give the chairs any thought.
