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Extension viewed from the south east – The extension is designed to attach lightly to the north east corner of the church, without obstructing the chancel windows, or affecting the tranquillity of this part of the churchyard.
At the start of the development project the church had hoped to meet all its needs in a single extension. However, in light of the importance of the Grade I Listed church building the proposal that is now being put forward is for a church extension of minimum size which contains only those facilities which are essential to be attached to church.
These facilities will include:
- Vestries for clergy, sacristy, choir vestry/robing room and rehearsal space.
- Safe and appropriate space for the young church groups.
- Cloakroom and baby change facilities.
- Mix and mingle area for refreshments after services, with kitchenette.
- Proper storage and work facilities for the church records which date back to the 16th century.
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Extension ground floor plan showing usage of rooms - click to enlarge
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Extension first floor plan showing usage of rooms - click to enlarge
The position, layout and design of the extension takes on board all of the information gathered from the consultation with the wider community in a questionnaire, as well as the church "Open Days" in 2008.
This grade II listed building is in need of structural renovation and work on the roof and guttering. The inside will be improved to provide storage spaces for Church equipment and materials separate from storage of church yard maintenance equipment.
The fuller use of the Norman Chapel, as well as its long term preservation, is hampered by persistent damp. English Heritage have suggested levelling and re-flooring the building with appropriate damp proofing, putting in under floor heating, and looking at positioning of an additional door. This work would make the building more useable for small services and weddings and enable the building to be used both in the winter months and for a wider range of activities.
Improvement of the churchyard footpaths is necessary to ensure good access and movement between the buildings and also a new access to the Shirley’s car park from the church yard would make the distance to church from the car park shorter than it was from the Ford House car park.
There is a number of internal improvements to the church building including accessibility through the South Porch, carpeting, and the projection system, which will be undertaken at the same time.
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Ford House - click to enlarge
With Ford House the church has tried to listen to the views of the community and respond to three different sets of concerns that have been identified:
Firstly, those whose primary concern is the street scene, where the Ford House building is a key landmark as they walk or drive through the village.
Secondly, those who have a personal attachment perhaps because they came to Baptism preparation there, or whose children had made use of the facilities.
Thirdly, the worry that Ford House might be turned into some ultra contemporary design with temporary architectural merit, but leaving a long term eye sore that would plague any hope of revitalization of our village centre.
For those who hoped to see no change we clearly cannot continue with a sad and decaying building at the centre of the village.
The proposal is that Ford House will be replaced with a building retaining as closely as possible its original appearance, and that the proposals for the church extension, the facilities at Ford House, and elsewhere, will replace the lost church facilities when Ford House had to be closed.
The use of Ford House will be to provide a church office base to include a Parish office, clergy offices and counselling/interview rooms, while on the first floor there will be two flats for church staff, including a church youth and children’s worker. The domestic housing development behind Ford House will finance the proposals.
The proposal is that Ford House is taken down and rebuilt as it was originally in the 1860’s. This raises a number of questions and we are very keen to hear peoples reactions in particular to the following: Should Ford House be rebuilt in the original brick as on the early photos (so that it looks like Swanwick House, etc) or should it be rendered black and white as in its present form?
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Artists' impressions of Ford House in original brick
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Artists' impressions of Ford House in black and white
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Plan of site with eight town houses behind the rebuilt Ford House
The reasons for proposing that Ford House be taken down and rebuilt are:
- Structural: Not only is the roof unstable but there are major problems with the chimneys, woodwork and parts of the walls.
- Once the twentieth century extensions have been removed and the chimneys and unstable parts taken down there isn’t much left.
- The existing interior layout is not commensurate with its future use.
- The cost of repair and refurbishment is significantly greater than rebuild and as a charity the church are obliged to choose the most financially effective alternative.
- The rebuild will be essentially identical, with the same roof materials, chimneys, leaded windows, etc.
- The new build will enable a quality provision of mews houses behind.
