May 26, 2018 / By admin
The local community of Cheltenham, were invited by Rev Nick Davies to view exciting RRA plans and proposals, which set out a future-vision for the proposed re-ordering of St Philip and St James church, Leckhampton, Cheltenham. You can see Nick’s vision for his parish at the following link.
The assembled gathering were impressed with the RRA design ideas and the opportunities to enhance, not only the church interior, but to create a new public “piazza” in front of the west elevation of the church. Garry Thomas, Design Director at RRA, and Fred Hamer AABC Apprentice, presented a video presentation and display panels to well over 100 people, highlighting the architectural proposals and 3D views of the design.
The original Victorian church, designed by the Architect John Middleton, in 1879, is a gothic revival church containing some very good decoration and ornamental ironwork, together with a stunning carved stone reredos altar piece.
The aim of this RRA reordering project is to make the church building work more effectively for worship, and a whole host of other community uses. Whilst every church building is unique, each parish is unique too, in terms of the way the community uses its premises.
Generally, we find at RRA, that church reordering schemes range from the very modest – perhaps the removal of two or three pews to create a crèche or welcome area – to a radical internal refitting and/or the subdivision or opening-up of interior spaces. RRA has carried out church reordering projects all over the country; with the best examples being All Saints Church in Hereford, which was awarded the RIBA Award for its innovation and creative reimagining of church building fit for the 21st Century; and St Johns Ladywood in Birmingham, which was awarded the Bdi Industry and Genius Award for the creative transformation of an othertwise redundant building into an Afro-Caribean arts and community church.
The re-ordering of St Philip and St James, otherwise known as Pip and Jims, is going to be a radical scheme, seeking to provide the community with a new parish office, a crèche, a new kitchen and WC’s, together with extra spaces for meeting rooms, a vestry and improved choir facilities, as well as improved disabled access and parking arrangements to external landscaping areas.
The project is currently undergoing public consultation, seeking valued feedback on the proposals; after taking on-board public comments the next stage will be for these exciting proposals to be submitted to the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), for formal Faculty approval, and for the project to be fully detailed and tendered to contractors, to ensure it is ready for onsite construction, due next year.
If you would like to find out more about church reordering, or the consultation and reordering of Pip and Jims, contact one of our team, or check out the following link: Pip and Jims Consultation