Choir stalls at St Mary's College  Durham University

Robert Thompson's has installed four choir stalls and two choir frontals in the chapel of St Mary's College, Durham University. The company has a long tradition of work for the college having provided a complete fit-out of the newly built chapel in the 1950's, which was designed by the esteemed ecclesiastical architect George Pace.

St Mary's has a proud tradition of providing university education originally for women. It was established as the Women's Hostel in 1899, adopting its present name in 1920. It moved to its current location on Elvet Hill in 1947, where the foundation stone for the college buildings was laid by HRH Princess Elizabeth. The new site opened to students in 1952. In the 1970's, the idea of becoming a mixed college was first mooted although it met with strong resistance. However, in 2005, the college eventually opened its doors fully to male students, ending over 100 years as a bastion of education for women only. The presence of the carved mouse on the chapel furniture is one tradition that remains alive.