June 13, 2018 / By admin
The parish of Leckhampton, in Cheltenham, have appointed RRA to help deliver their church re-ordering project within a Gothic Revival Victorian church, St. Philip & St. James’, designed by John Middleton, in the late 19th Century, which is located right in the heart of Cheltenham.
The church, built between 1879 and 1882, was subsequently fitted with a tower, in 1903, designed by Prothero and Phillpott.
The church structure is rusticated in coursed limestone with ashlar and red sandstone feature stonework.
The church provides existing accommodation for ‘Pip and Jim’s’ and as a result of a desire to provide investment in the community, a project to re-order the church spaces has emerged. The project will seek to provide contemporary facilities within the church spaces as well as allow various community and church activities to take place.
The current arrangement, like many churches, is poorly serviced due to outdated heating and plumbing systems, and large voluminous spaces, which are difficult to manage for large and small groups using the church at the same time, due to sound and heating becoming a problem.
Another important factor will be achieving level access into the building, to ensure that users of the church can arrive through the same door, without a need to be diverted to another entrance, if movement is impaired.
RRA has carried out many contemporary church re-ordering projects, all over the UK, and we are delighted to assist the community of Leckhampton in their journey to improve the church for the next 100 years.