Building Project Progress
Work on the final touches to the refurbishment has stopped for the time being due to the main contractor going into administration. We are currently going out to tender to complete the paths and soft landscaping around the church and hope to have this work finished as soon as possible.
In the meantime our thoughts and prayers are with all those who worked for Latimer Contracting Limited, who worked with us for many months to get the building into the shape it is now in.
In order to make the church more accessible to people with mobility difficulties (and to comply with the spirit of the Disability Discrimination Act) we had to deal with the access ramp from our car park. The old ramp had a gradient of 1:6! The only appropriate route for the new ramp (with a gradient of 1:15) ran close to three large trees, one a sycamore and the other two ash trees.
On inspection, we found one of the ash trees to be rotten at the base and actually dangerous as it stood (see picture). The tap root of the second ash ran hoizontally across the level that was excavated and its removal left the tree unstable. With two trees thus condemned, we were advised that the sycamore was not viable on its own after the removal of its two close neighbours.
The final site meeting before handover of the refurbished building took place on 16 August. You can now begin to see the full impact that the work has had and start to get excited about the prospects of moving on in.
The new east window now awaits the glass. The stone surround matches the old window beautifully. Inside the building, the additional light allowed in transforms the chancel.
The new glass porch will provide a much more welcoming point of arrival for visitors than the old brick one.
On the inside, redecoration has been carried out using an original Georgian colour scheme.
The new lighting system will enhance the atmosphere inside the church.
The old monument stones have been carefully re-sited and these aspects of the building's heritage can still be clearly seen.
Finally, the new ramps will give full access to the platform for those in wheelchairs. This shot also shows the old Lady Chapel which will become the new Memory Corner.
On July 5, the contractors reported good progress, with the expectation that the building work will be finished on time by the end of August, leaving us 6 weeks to get ready for our first services in the new building to be followed by the "official opening" on 5 November.
We were quite excited by the installation of the new stone framed window in the east wall and not just because we can see the pub on the other side of Treadaway Hill!
The extra light that the window allows into the church can be seen in this shot from the balcony.
Another encouraging sign of progress has been the installation of radiators and the first light fittings, showing that we are geeting very much closer to the final stages.
At the site meeting on 7 June we reviewed progress up to the half-way point in the contract, with building work still on schedule. Why didn't they ask us to build Wembley Stadium? Apart from the ever so slight difference in scale of the two projects, we know our project is on track because of the help of our God. [Neh 2:20]
The new entrance porch is starting to take shape with the roof in place.
With only glass to fill the spaces between the steel supports on the porch, you can begin to see how it will open up the whole west end of the building.
Work inside the church is prgoressing well, with the new floor in place. The curved ramp through the old Lady Chapel will provide wheelchair access to the platform. You can also see the opening for the new east window (boarded at present) in the background.
The new platform has taken shape and doubles up as a handy bench for anyone wanting a good view of the organist in full flow!
See how different this area looks compared with the view shown in May. New floors and ceilings, combined with termination of all of the cables on a circuit board, give a better impression of what things will look like.
After the site meeting on 10 May, we inspected progress on the wiring and heating pipes.
It would be interesting to know how many miles of cable have gone into the building.
Most of the cables seem to head in the direction of the new sound desk.
The raised flooring will cover both cables and the pipe work for the new heating system.
By 5 April work had started on creating the new more welcoming entrance. Clearly there is still a little work to do.
Security is important in any building. Uninvited visitors may be treated to two tons of organ wrapped in black plastic descending rapidly to test their hard hats.
Photos below show progress up to 31 March.
These are the widened arches at the end of the south and north aisles.
This shows the new opening from what was the side chapel.
The photo below from 24 March shows progress in opening up the side arches in the church. There is a definite feeling of more space in the building with the work that has been done so far.
The photographs below were from 8 March.
The mini excavator picured above made the task of reducing the floor levels at the east end a little easier. You can see the size of some of the stonework removed below.
Film cameraman Phil Bradshaw was on hand to capture the event which will be edited into a DVD to be produced when the building project is completed.
Please contact us if you would like a copy when it is released; it should be worth every penny!
