How the temple was rebuilt in Slough

(l-r) The original nave and chancel steps before the works; excavation of levels; detail of seating by Irish Contract Seating

[TIRED…AND VERY DRY, like an old wine skin: that was how St Paul’s in Slough was described in this, the 21st century. It still carried the magnificence of scale of its original form, but over a century since it was built it was a very sad looking place: especially the interior, having lost all of its grandeur.

It had such an honourable history: sponsored by Algernon Gilliat of Stoke Poges in 1906. He was a benefactor, businessman and merchant banker; and he was building on the local mission work of Miss Kate Buee, a local doctor’s daughter who visited the sick and held regular meetings in one of the cottages of Stoke Gardens. The local community grew to around two to three thousand people with the influx of Great Western Railway employees.

Former church warden Dr Chris Broadbent described the church’s position thus, in a Statement of Significance: “As a parish today, long gone are the horses and carriages of the Edwardian era. St Paul’s is now an evangelistic Anglican community with a distinctly multi-ethnic congregation that reflects the diversity within the whole of the town. What has never altered is its commitment to spreading God’s word in Slough and helping Christians grow in their discipleship. The diversity has come with waves of immigration. After the 2nd World War, there was an influx of Poles and Ukrainians. This trend continued in the early fifties, with workers arriving from the West Indies, India and Pakistan.”

In 1975 the interior was severely compromised, perhaps with the best intentions, by the construction of a flatroofed interior hall, built in the west end of the nave. It left a sad, foreshortened nave and an out-of-proportion grand chancel, which was then itself a thing of little use or meaning, except that the AV screen was balanced on the choir stalls.

It was time for a re-think. The then vicar Rev Mike Cotterell and warden Chris Broadbent have been the stalwart stewards of the long and difficult road to the now-completed project, masterminded by JBKS Architects. The story of Nehemiah rebuilding the temple walls in Jerusalem (Nehemiah, Chapters 1-7) is so often paralleled in church projects. This was no exception, except that it only took Nehemiah 52 days to repair the walls: call it more like a decade-and-a-half at St Paul’s.

Work on the reordering project started with a planning application to turn another site, owned by St Pauls, into a housing site for sale. That was turned down and appealed in 2004. The appeal was upheld and planning permission was granted, which allowed the site to be sold to pump-prime the project. That was not the end of the worries, or obstacles. It took until 2018 to get to the point of starting to build. One would have thought it would then be a straight run to completion; but no, the contractor refused to sign the contract, demanded more money, and then proceeded with the building process – making outrageous claims for additional monies all along the way. At least there were no major quality issues up to practical completion. By then the builder had gone into administration. It was not easy, but worth it. The results are a magnificent transformation of the original church into, dare one say it, a much more spectacular interior than was there before. The main features of the new configuration are that the main entrance is now on the side of the building, leading into the chancel – which is a stunning, high and spacious foyer. It is separated from the nave by a huge glass screen, 10m tall, made of a combination of glass with oak timber supports. The mighty cross in the centre is not an added element, but part of the structure. The congregation’s lives are held up by the cross of Jesus Christ. The nave is turned sideways. Although on a north-south axis, nothing is lost of the main drive and axis of the original church. The geometry is not at all incongruous. The floor levels have been reconciled to create a mostly level access floor, which has been carpeted in a colour which works very well with the cleaned red brick walls. The Ancaster and Bath stone features of the columns and quoins have also been cleaned, and beautifully lit by floor lights. The William Morris-type frieze was restored by a local artist and painter. It is breathtaking. Jeremy Bell BArch MEd, RIBA architect and director of JBKS Architects, writes: “The thanks need to start from those visionaries who saw the importance of serving the growing local community with a place of worship. They did not just build a shed: Gilliat didn’t skimp; then the steadfast endurance of Mike Cotterell and Chris Broadbent: and finally, Thanks be to God. “Psalm 127 states ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the labour is in vain’. The new church is for His glory and His honour and His praise. May it be filled with His presence, and bring support, faith, hope and salvation to the local Christian community – and beyond – from The completed project in 2019 such interesting and diverse backgrounds.” q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk 19