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CHRIST CHURCH
KENSINGTON
COMMUNITY APPEAL november 2013 update
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CONTEXT
At first glance, Christ Church appears un-spoilt and untouched; a village church designed by Benjamin Ferrey in the Gothic Revival style in the heart of central London.
And yet, on closer inspection, one discovers that every generation has made some significant alterations or modifications to the building to meet its ministry needs. The late 19th century saw the removal of the gallery at the west end as it had become unsafe. The 1920’s witnessed a new window at the East End and a vestry extension. The 1940’s saw the removal and reconstruction of the tower while major works occurred to the organ and roof in the 1960s, as well as an installation of a side chapel. The 1970’s and 80’s were turbulent times for Christ Church, which was in constant threat of closure but, through it all, the congregation kept prayerfully serving the local community. The 1990’s witnessed more work on the tower, roof and exterior of the church and also plans for a new building on site that was opposed by local residents. During the last decade, the church has considered a number of options but faced challenges over the footprint of the building, planning, structure, trees, cost and access. This brings us to the present day, when we would very much like your thoughts on our present and potential building needs and the extent to which our current proposals meet those needs. Having completed a large proportion of the vital roof works in the last year, it now seems appropriate to set out as clearly as possible the works being proposed to the west end in particular and to obtain feedback from the congregation and community as to the possible changes. The current proposals have been viewed and discussed in draft form during the last 18 months by the Church Council and the Building Committee, during individual meetings with members of the church family and with the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), both informally and formally. The proposals are currently in the “design and consultation” phase, after which we hope to seek DAC approval before going into the detailed design phase, seeking competitive tenders, obtaining faculty consent and aiming to start work in 2014.
before (August 2012)
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after
the opportunity Christ Church is warm and welcoming – a village church in the heart of London. We aim to reach out with the good news of Christ, help people know and love God better and be a beacon within our own community and across West London. Christ Church also provides opportunities for people to serve the wider needs of our local community. We are a venue for Alcoholics Anonymous; school assemblies; a Montessori nursery; afternoon ballet lessons for local children; local orchestras and community, children’s and chamber choirs; residents’ associations, the Kensington Society; a Saturday evening service for the local French community; cultural events, meetings and other functions for a variety of student groups from the different colleges around us. We are often the only viable space in the local area for these groups to use. In addition, we want the building to serve our community initiative, A Senior Moment, which aims to reduce social isolation amongst elderly members of our community through a visiting, care and social programme, including monthly events at church, such as lectures, concerts and lunches. An increasing number of cultural, community and educational events, as well as a growing congregation, mean that the Church building is now no longer sufficiently flexible to serve its many uses to best advantage and limits the type and scale of events we can host. In particular, there is a real need to install a proper kitchen and lavatories, to improve disabled access, to create more separate community spaces and to renovate the church’s heating and lighting. The proposed works at the west end will address many of these issues. They will create an attractive open space (a new Narthex) behind the pews, which will allow for proper welcome and gathering as people enter Christ Church. They will also transform our catering and hospitality, with food and refreshments able to be prepared from a new kitchen and served both into the rear of the church after services and into the proposed new Charles Madden room. Since 1851, a host of loyal parishioners have left Kensington a precious inheritance in Christ Church.It has been the neighbourhood’s spiritual, cultural and community centre during that time. If we are to sustain Christ Church for the next 160 years, we need your help to carry out these vital restoration and regeneration works in order that we might better serve our local community.
THE PLAN As we carry out these works, we will seek to restore and refresh this beautiful Victorian church, reinstate Ferry’s original intention for the building to have a west end gallery, and refurbish it with modern facilities and additional function rooms for 21st century use - Christian worship, celebrations, cultural and community events. Alongside these vital works, we also hope to redecorate the interior of the church where water ingress has caused damage, give the glorious stained glass windows a new lease of life and repair our beautiful organ so that it can continue to support services and perform at concerts. In addition, volunteers, who have received training from the Royal School of Needlework, will also repair our intricate altar frontals and pulpit falls. We also wish to find the best location for the font and, if that is at the East End, to consider how best the side chapel will function. Finally, we are pondering how to mark the centenary of World War I next year and may wish to provide some fitting memorial as part of the proposed works We are making every effort to raise as much money as we can from heritage and church building trusts. We have submitted or will submit applications to Allchurches Trust, City Bridge Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund and Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, among many others. These trusts have significant funds at their disposal, but there is also fierce competition for grants and therefore no guarantee that we will receive funds from all these sources. The rest of the funds will be raised through our Community Appeal - with a fundraising dinner, concerts and other events, as well through pledges from the church congregation and wider community. We are delighted to announce that in the 4-5 months since the Community Appeal’s launch in June, we have already raised £293,000 of the £750,000 target.
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the key works The Restoration and Regeneration Project can best be understood as providing a series of Key Works. It may make sense for them to be grouped in the context of a single building contract probably in two or more phases (carried out during 20142016) with the possibility to run them together more quickly if funding allows. Once we raise £320,000, we would aim, subject to feedback, to install the kitchen and lavatories, with their necessary foundation and drainage works, and to renovate the church’s heating as these projects have been a priority for Christ Church for a number of years.
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Roof Repairs
The chancel, nave and vestry roofs have all been restored over the past 4 years, funded by Christ Church’s congregation and members of the local community. We have applied to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to enable us to restore the north and south aisle roofs in order to complete the roof repairs. Cost estimate: £189,000. Possible Time for work: Summer 2014.
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Improved kitchen facilities (inc. foundation, drainage ventilation, fitting out)
The current kitchen facilities are limited, even inadequate, thereby restricting the type of events that the church can host. Improved kitchen facilities will allow us to cater for church lunches and suppers, refreshments for concerts, parties and for community initiatives such ‘A Senior Moment’. Cost estimate: £100,000. Possible Time for work: June-Nov 2014.
Illustrative purposes only
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As we wish to promote the inclusion of all members of our community, we will carry out an access audit and act upon its recommendations to improve disabled access to the building. We will also install a disabled lavatory.
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The current lavatories are geared for children and awkwardly placed at the south-east corner of the vestry, away from the main part of the church building. More facilities will allow for more people to use the building and make the building much more suitable. Timeframe: 6 months (as KW2-6) Funding: Appeal (£25,000 so far)
The Charles Madden Room
A large room is planned between the kitchen and the loos at the West End and bordered by the four existing stone pillars and suitable for hosting larger community, cultural, educational events as well as social initiatives such as ‘A Senior Moment’. There is no large open space currently available for hosting these types of events. Cost estimate: £89,000. Possible Time for work: June-Nov 2014.
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Timeframe: 6 months (as KW2-6) Funding: Trusts (£3,000 so far)
Installation of 2 extra lavatories (inc foundation, drainage, ventilation, fitting out)
Cost estimate: £38,000. Possible Time for work: June-Nov 2014. Illustrative purposes only
Timeframe: 6 months (as KW2-6) Funding: Appeal (£75000 so far)
Improved disabled access and installation of disabled lavatory
Cost estimate: £48,000. Possible Time for work: June-Nov 2014.
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Timeframe: 12 weeks. Funding: HLF & Appeal
Timeframe: 6 months (as KW2-6) Funding: Appeal (£60,000 so far)
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
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FIRST FLOOR PLAN
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The Vestibule (inc upgrade of existing structure and infilling of arched openings) The small room at the west end, currently a cubbyhole kitchen, will be returned to its original use of an entrance for larger services (e.g. for weddings, funerals, Carols etc) and also function, for the rest of the time, as a separate meeting room. Cost estimate: £45,000. Possible Time for work: June-Nov 2014.
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New heating system (inc new boilers, wall-mounted radiators, removal of pipes) We were told in 2009 that our current system is old, inefficient and would soon cease to function. A new heating system for the church and a separate one for the west end will make the building both warmer and welcoming during the colder months and much more energy efficient by enabling us to heat certain parts of the building and not others. Cost estimate: £140,000. Possible Time for work: Autumn 2014.
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An improved and more discreet lighting system will dramatically improve and enhance the look and feel of Christ Church, transform the atmosphere of corporate worship, celebrations, cultural and community events and highlight some beautiful architectural features. It will also assist those with impaired vision to use the facilities by increasing the amount of light in the building during services and events. Using low-energy lights will also make the church more energy efficient and cut costs.
Sunday school, youth group and crèche all currently compete for a small amount of space in the vestry and there are no other meeting spaces in the church in which to house our growing children’s ministry not to mention the growing demand for community uses. By restoring Ferrey’s original intention for a gallery at the west end of the building, we will create at least 3 extra community spaces in the gallery that can also provide much-needed storage space as well as letting income. Timeframe: 8-10 weeks (with KW9) Funding: Appeal (£50,000 so far)
West End Balcony
In order not to lose pews or any seating capacity, it is proposed to include a balcony once Benjamin Ferrey’s original intention for a west end gallery is completed. This will mean that everyone can see for larger services and events. Cost estimate: £75,000. Possible Time for work: Summer 2015.
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Timeframe: 4-6 weeks Funding: Trusts & Appeal (£5,250 so far)
Community Meeting Spaces
Cost estimate: £145,000. Possible Time for work: Summer 2015.
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Timeframe: 4-6 weeks Funding: Trusts (£15,000 so far)
Lighting system
Cost estimate: £40,000. Possible Time for work: Autumn 2014.
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Timeframe: 6 months (as KW2-6) Funding: Appeal (£25,000 so far)
Timeframe: 8-10 weeks (with KW9) Funding: Appeal (£40,000 so far)
OF LONDON THE BISHOP
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feedback form As a member of the Christ Church Kensington community we value your feedback both on the proposals outlined above and the Community Appeal. Please use the following form to let us know your thoughts, and return it to the address below as soon as possible and, in any event, before 31 December 2013. Name Contact details
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On a scale of 0 (totally dislike) to 10 (totally love), I would give these proposals a score of
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Priorities (if the Key Works need to be undertaken in phases) Please number the Key Works below (currently listed in alphabetical order) from 1-10, with 1 being the item you consider most urgent/important and 10 being the least. Extra Community spaces in the west end gallery Improved Disabled access (including disabled toilet) Improved kitchen facilities Heating system Larger community space (Charles Madden Room) Lighting system Roof repairs (to the north and south aisle roofs) 2 new lavatories Vestibule/extra ground floor room West End balcony Other (please specify)
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Please provide here any other comments or suggestions. Is there anything you would like to see added to the proposals (for example, on redecoration, windows, sound system or a WWI memorial) or something you think is not necessary ? Please provide your reasons.
contact details
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PHOTOGRAPHY GRAPHIC DESIGN
The Consultation will run until the end of 2013. Obviously, anonymous feedback will carry less weight than comments that are attributable to a member of our community.
Photography by Robert Leslie www.leslieimage.com www.greyjonestudio.co.uk
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Community Appeal Office 20 South End Row Kensington London W8 5BZ Telephone 020 7937 2966 Email communityappeal@christchurchkensington.com