ALL SAINTS CHURCH WOKINGHAM CC2020 Refurbishing the church for 21st century worship and community activities ARCHITECT S BRIEF 1 INTRODUCTION All Saints Church wishes to refurbish its Grade II* listed church building to make it more appropriate for 21 st century worship. Over the last year we have consulted widely and researched what other churches have done to establish the needs. This brief has been prepared as the basis for selection of an architect to develop an outline plan and subsequent detailed designs for refurbishing All Saints Church. It is only an outline brief, needs based. We are keen to develop the ideas with a sympathetic and innovative architect, and then as the plans develop we expect changes to be made as we discuss their ideas with the Church authorities, our congregation and the local community. This brief is about needs but inevitably touches on some possible ways of meeting them, but we see that part of the work as really the architect s job, not ours. 1.1 Timescale The name CC2020 tells all we know things do not happen quickly, but we hope to have an architect selected by the end of May and to have outline plans discussed during the autumn of 2016, so as to develop an action plan for consultation and fund raising through 2017. Our timetable is as follows: Return date for pre-qualification questionnaires Invitation to selected architects to make a full written proposal and presentation to us in person Deadline for full proposal Interview short listed architects and make an appointment Outline designs 24 th March 15 th April 13 th May 24 th May End August or as agreed 1.2 Finance and budget The church has adequate funds from a legacy for an architect to develop the plans, but it does not have funds at its disposal for the whole job, but we anticipate a long haul of fund raising from grant making bodies, and the likely need to work on the project in stages. There is not a specific budget for this very open ended brief, but we have in mind the need to spend about 500,000 on the refurbishment and expect we may have to spend a similar amount on repairs. Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 1
1.3 Approvals We will only work with architects who are already well acquainted with requirements of the Church of England and Historic England, so we are not setting those details out here. We will have discussed this brief with the Diocesan Advisory Committee before it is sent out. 1.4 Basis of architect s appointment We will appoint our architect on a project basis with agreements on each of the activities/ work packages to be undertaken. The first of these will be to provide an overall plan agreed with the PCC, and the second to steer this through the initial consultation, approvals and fund raising stage. If the architect has a preference as to how they would like to approach this, we would welcome the input at the prequalification stage. At final selection stage we will expect an indication of fees for the first activity overall plans. 1.5 The All Saints CC2020 team The team appointed by the PCC for the preparatory stages of the work includes the Associate Rector, two PCC members, one of whom, Ian Brooks, is a structural engineer active in the construction industry, and three other members of the congregation, one who has current construction project experience as a contractor. The team is led by Anne King who has just retired from the construction industry after 35 years working for BSRIA, and who led the client team for the building of our successful community centre, The Cornerstone (completed in 2004). 2 THE EXISTING CHURCH We are a major parish church - the largest of several Anglican churches in Wokingham, part of the Diocese of Oxford. We are liberal in our tradition adopting some elements of evangelical or catholic churchmanship as appropriate, with the Eucharist at the heart of our worship. 2.1 The building A statement of significance, with a full description of the building, can be found at Appendix A, and location maps and a plan of the church are in Appendix B. More information can be obtained from the CC2020 section on the church website. www.allsaintswokingham.org.uk. All Saints is a Grade II* listed building, founded more than 800 years ago, which has been radically altered several times. For example we have deduced from the picture of the church in 1835, that there was probably a gallery on the north side of the church. The bases of the large chalk pillars are Norman and the oak roof of the nave is sixteenth century. It is currently in moderately good condition with the exception of the nave roof, on which work is needed and which we expect repairs of this to be included in your outline plans. Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 2
All Saints church in 1835 All Saints church in 2015 INTERIOR All Saints church in 2015 EXTERIOR The church is located in a prominent position at the eastern end of the town centre. It is surrounded by one of Wokingham s few centrally located green spaces - four acres of churchyard, and is very close to the main road into the town. Indeed this road cuts it off from the town centre. The Church runs a purpose built community centre, The Cornerstone, which was opened in 2004 and has been well used ever since. The Cornerstone has a large hall which can be subdivided and other meeting rooms and offices, with kitchen and toilets. The church uses The Cornerstone facilities at present and it is essential that the developments in the church complement The Cornerstone. Our church school, All Saints Primary is about 500 metres away, and relationships between the school and church are very good. 2.2 The life of the church We are a busy church, with four services every Sunday, with congregations of between 30 and 150 at the different services, regular weekday worship, an active youth programme and pastoral care team. Baptisms, wedding sand funerals are all important, as are civic services. St George s Day Parade: attendance 400 Weekday Morning Prayer in The Lady Chapel Team of helpers for our Messy Church servcie We have two paid clergy and one self-supporting minister, and a lay staff of five (all part time). The church is regularly used by local schools for services and a number of organisations hire the church. Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 3
We have a very active choir and a concert programme of about 20 concerts a year, an active team of bell ringers and an expert Flower Guild. Our parish is due to grow by about two thirds in the next ten years and we are very conscious that as the town of Wokingham expands the demand on us will grow. Our outreach to the community is significant. As well as pastoral care, and the various services above, we run The Cornerstone, a purpose built community centre, completed in 2004, and still providing an appropriate range of facilities, though not always able to meet the demands on it, for example for wedding, baptism and funeral gatherings. Parish offices and meeting rooms are located in the Cornerstone. Some of the office space is currently leased by two local charities. Our Mission Action Plan has an overriding vision of A church of life, love and energy. Its four priority areas are: Provide opportunities to learn so we may grow spiritually both personally and as a church Provide different types of worship to make ourselves more approachable to the wider community in Wokingham Encourage all young people to grow in faith by making it relevant to them All Saints to be in the heart of the community, and well known as active citizens The refurbishing of our church building to make it more appropriate for 21st century worship and community activities is a vital element for all of these. In 2013 we received a third EcoCongregation Award for our commitment as a congregation to reducing our impact on the environment. 3 THE REQUIREMENTS 3.1 Core needs Based on extensive research amongst the congregation, we need a church that will resonate with the way we live now and will: 1. Retain the feeling of being a holy place, keeping the heritage of more than 800 years of worship, with an altar as the focus of the church. Also we want to keep the feeling of history, something which is encouraging the growth of cathedral congregations. 2. Enable a variety of types of worship to take place for small groups and large, including formal Eucharistic services, services appropriate for young people, particularly for our own school, with its special needs unit, worship in the round, meditative services, Messy Church, labyrinth, café church. It will provide intimate spaces for small scale worship and space for very large numbers of people to worship, for example at Christmas, and school and civic services. A capacity of 450 needs to be retained. 3. Provide an auditorium, exhibition and entertainment space for church and community events, particularly concerts, in what is a very high quality building and one of the largest indoor spaces in Wokingham 4. Be open seven days a week providing a suitable environment for private prayer and reflection Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 4
5. Be hospitable, with an area for welcome, a kitchen, and toilets on the premises, as are essential in a public building, particularly one used by children. We need facilities that would enable coffee after services and receptions after funerals, weddings and baptisms to take place in the same building 6. Be fully accessible, providing good facilities for all the disabled, with good audio and video systems, good lighting and level access 7. Provide a quality environment in terms of visual appeal, physical comfort, heating, lighting, audio, video, communications including WiFi and storage. Sustainability and low running costs are important considerations. 3.2 Some ideas To achieve our needs we expect, for example, to Remove some or all of the 1920s pews and replace them with chairs. We are aware of Pevsner s special mention of the pews in his Buildings of England: Berkshire. Have level or slightly ramped access at the main door (whether by increasing the floor level or reducing the height of the path outside and a more even floor throughout Permanently screen at least part of the church, but this could be a whole area at the back, or just the Lady Chapel, in either case to provide both thermal and acoustic benefits Make better use of the mezzanine options in the church and vestry - we need more storage in the church Have a new lighting system (LED based and very controllable) Have a new heating system (probably underfloor), possibly using a heat pump Have much improved AV And we want to provide all of this in a sustainable way as possible. We would like to consider putting in a gallery, and any one of the following to accommodate toilets: adding one or more rooms beside the tower at west end building at the north east end to accommodate toilets making use of the ground floor of the choir vestry and providing a rehearsal room above. 3.3 Congregation support Almost everyone in the congregation has been inspired by the vision and accepts the need for change, but there are concerns that will need to be addressed, such as: The Cornerstone: some people do not see how we could need to change the church when The Cornerstone provides good community facilities. However, the refurbishment is first and foremost about worship, and providing flexibility for worship of different styles and for different age groups in ways with which they will be comfortable. Also, the Parish is growing and the church may be able to take some of the overload from The Cornerstone. In simple terms the refurbishment will complement The Cornerstone NOT compete with it; and the plans should consider how best to integrate the two. Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 5
Everyone is worried about the cost. Whilst it is absolutely right they worry, and we will be turning to them for money, we will be looking for grants for much of the work, and we will have to have a good business plan as to how we will meet the running costs. We are expecting to put in new systems with lower running costs, but,may of course need them on for longer. As for capital, we have also emphasised to the congregation the possibility of doing the work in stages. There is a very interesting division of opinion over a suitable area where children and parents can be relaxed during a service and play their part, but not be a nuisance to others. How cut off would they feel in a special room, glass box or glazed in Lady Chapel? There is a significant majority in favour of getting rid of the current pews. We see this as pretty much essential if we are to provide appropriate worship for young people, schoolchildren and families. It will be an expensive item, and we must have plans in place as to how these will be moved (and by whom) or we will not get the benefit. Arms, kneeler and somewhere to put books all need to be considered. We have to take into account that our current pew capacity is 420 and that at a big civic service the church is full and we have additional chairs. 3.4 What other people have done results of our research The research team has looked at a number of other churches to get ideas and enquire about how the building is run after refurbishment and how they achieved their project. We found the book Churches for Communities: Adapting Oxfordshire's Churches for Wider Use by Becky Payne particularly useful. St Mary-le-More, Wallingford is probably our favourite project of the ones we have visited though we appreciate this is a much smaller church in the market place (literally) with no community building attached. We particularly like their level access and light continuous floor, their kitchen, and their unobtrusive toilets We particularly liked the entranceway at St Michael s Warfield and the AV system there and in Warminster We were not keen on the glazed partitions at St Mary the Virgin, Henley, but curious as to how they found the glazed crèche (with no ceiling) worked in terms of acoustic baffling We liked the idea at St John s Kenilworth which is arranged for facing east with one congregation (the more formal) and north for informal services (and they even have different styles of seating. We applaud the creation of very modern spaces at St Lawrence is Reading, without interference with the original fabric We have studied chairs and pews and looked at the benefits and disadvantages of each but have not yet seen any one church where their solution ticks all the boxes. Maybe that is impossible. The Luke Hughes stacking pews at Sheffield cathedral look very interesting but we have not yet had a chance to see them. Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 6
Appendices: 3.5 Repairs and other work There is no point in having a great church interior if the exterior is not secure and the interior properly finished. We need a church that is watertight, comfortable and attractive, repaired and restored in line with the recommendations of our surveyor. The most recent Quinquennial report (October 2013) is available for inspection most importantly work is needed on both the nave roof and windows. We are repairing the roof at the east end of the church, and providing insulation, but have no funding to repair the nave roof. The last three Quinquennial inspections have identified the need for such repair, and we now see this as part of the larger job. We are concerned about the state of the windows but the last comment we had from a glazing expert was that repairs were not needed immediately, though if they could be combined with other work that would be ideal. The last decoration was 20 years ago and the pillars are certainly due some attention. The organ needs to be replaced and this must be taken into account in the work we do on the CC2020 project, both in terms of space and layout and funding. The PCC is minded to install a newbuild combination organ consisting of a blend of pipes and electronics and is also looking at options around a restored second-hand pipe organ, possibly with new electronic extensions. We are currently negotiating with the DAC over the possibility of installing a glazed screen to provide an acoustic and thermal barrier to the ringing gallery. This is an essential need of the church now and we are hoping to start work during the middle of 2016. It is not part of the CC2020 work. 3.6 Master plan and working in stages We suspect that we will not get the funding for everything we would like to do in time to do it all as one big job, but we do want to have a master plan into which the various packages will fit. Having developed the master plan, we might wish to pick off some quick wins such as audio, lighting or storage. The heating system is now 25 years old and could break down at any time, so might have to be an early package. Similarly the organ is not working properly, though it is easier to replace on a temporary basis. A. Statement of Significance Introduction This 'Statement of Significance' has been prepared in order to satisfy the procedural requirements when submitting a 'Petition for Faculty' under the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2000, Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991. All Saints Church, Wokingham is listed as a building of historic or architectural interest under planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. The church is listed as as a Grade II* Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 7
building. The site of the church, including adjoining structures, is not wholly or partially scheduled as an ancient monument. The church and churchyard are situated in a conservation area. The information given below is drawn mainly from 'The Life of a Parish Church' compiled by John Clemetson (see reference 1). The Church The Church of All Saints was dedicated between 1189 and 1193 by Hubert, Bishop of Salisbury. But, because some previous chaplains are known, it is clear that there was a building prior to these dates but it is not known when. If nothing is now identifiable as belonging to a Saxon church, little is now visible of the Norman Church. The old arch built into the south doorway of the nave and the bases of the nave pillars seem all that is left above the ground. The outside bases of the west porch and the archway of the door leading from the west porch to the belfry stairs probably date from somewhere about 1370 and the stonework of the west windows of the north and south aisles are probably a little earlier. Sometime before the middle of the fifteenth century, the church was rebuilt. It may be a coincidence that Adam Moleyns, Dean of Salisbury, John Norreis and John Westwoode founded a chantry of St Mary at about the same time between 1441 and 1445. A grammar school was conducted in the chantry, which was in the north chancel aisle. The chantry was dissolved in 1548. Whatever the circumstances, the church was rebuilt in the perpendicular style with some degree of grandeur. The pillars of the nave, which were and still are mainly of chalk, were heightened and the arches added. The perpendicular west window of the tower was probably put in at this time. The oak roof of the nave is thought to be early sixteenth century work. It was repaired in the next century and an inspection on one of the tie beams records this. The roof has been repaired many times since. At some time the roof was covered in and hidden with a lath and plaster ceiling. This was removed in 1845 and is recorded by an inscription painted on one of the beams. The repairs of 1845 were carried out after a long and acrimonious controversy between the churchwardens, the Dean of Salisbury who owned the tithes and the lessee of the tithes. However, the repairs did not get to the root of the building's problems and by 1863 it was recognised that extensive work was required. In 1863/4 the interior was completely changed. The chancel was rebuilt and lengthened; the roof raised and the chance arch rebuilt. There were new altar rails and a newly built south chancel aisle. The vestry in the north chancel aisle was rebuilt and a clergy vestry added. In the nave, the galleries were taken down and the ringing chamber opened up; in the south arcade one of the chalk pillars and two half pillars were rebuilt in stone. The north and south aisles were rebuilt and a new south porch made retaining the remains of the old Norman doorway. The old high pews, the three-decker pulpit, prayer desk and clerk's pew were removed. When the work was completed the building may have been sound but the unity of the old perpendicular church had vanished and it was basically as it is today. Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 8
Because of lack of funds, restoration of the tower had to be delayed but by 1880 this could no longer be put off, as the structure was unsafe. Originally it had been hoped to raise the height, to provide another ringing chamber and to bring the west window into the nave. In 1897, extensive roof repairs were required because in the restoration thirty years previously, iron pins had been used to fix the tiles to the aisle roofs and these had rusted causing some wood to rot. At the same time the lead on the nave roof was redone. In 1898 and again in 1912 repairs were carried out to the inside wooden roof. In 1923 it was found that the church floor and joists were 'eaten out with dry rot' and the seats were also affected; but as work progresses it was found that more things required attention. The foundations of the pillars had to be strengthened with concrete; the old floor was taken up, old graves filled up with concrete, which was laid six inches deep over the whole area. On top were laid the wood blocks. The new seats of Austrian oak were dedicated on 2nd March 1924 and are still in use. No further work was carried out on the church until 1958/9 when extensive repairs were again necessary, mainly to the roof but one of the pillars of the north arcade had to be replaced in stone. To bring the story up to date, in 1983 it became apparent that death-watch beetle was active in the nave roof. It was decided in 1984 that every effort should be made to fully restore the church. The roof was the most urgent matter. Also included were the heating and lighting systems, which were causing concern, the organ and the re-ordering of the church to meet the needs of 1990. This reordering was completed in 1994. Soon after this the bell ringers re-wired the tower and installed lighting on the stairs and in the clock room. By the end of 2005 work on the tower was completed. Because of safety concerns (pudding stones were falling from the building) the pudding stone was rendered and five coats of limewash were applied in ocre gold'. In May, 2006, a major repair was completed on the Nave-east parapet and gable wall. The Font To the right of the west door stands the font, which is fifteenth century work. The bosses show the Tudor rose and the deep undercutting of the scrollwork is unusual. The wooden cover was the gift of a parishioner in 1879. The Chancel Screen The Chancel Screen was erected in 1895 in memory of Charles Edward Gambier Parry Murdoch by his parents who lived in Buckhurst (now St Anne's Manor Hotel). The screen was designed by Sir Arthur W Bloomfield, who also designed the pulpit, and was relocated in 1992 to the west end of the church so that the chancel could be opened up. Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 9
The Platform and the Chancel A platform was fitted in 1994 with removable altar rails in light oak and this and the chancel were carpeted. A new altar, lectern and credence table purchased. The current choir stalls were installed in 2006 to match existing platform furniture which was made of European oak. The Organ The pipes are the only remaining feature of the old pipe organ, the bulk of which has been disposed of. The pipes are retained purely for decoration. A mezzanine floor was added behind the remaining organ piles. The first organ in the church was presented by Phillip Morres of Matthews Green. But, after the restoration of 1864, it was decided this was no longer sufficient. It was replaced by an organ built by Bevington & Sons in 1870. In 1895, the organ was reconstructed and enlarged by J W Walker & Sons. This seems to have been a new organ incorporating the better parts of the old organ. In 1954, the organwas cleaned and overhauled but by 1965, it was again causing concern. At that time, the organ was renovated, retuned and placed on a platform in the choir vestry although the console was located in the Lady Chapel. In 1985 advice was received that the organ would again require a complete rebuild and, hence, the decision was taken to acquire the present organ, which is a three manual digital instrument by Copeman Hart. It was purchased in 1988. The Audio System In the year 2000 a sound reinforcement system supplied by DM Music was installed next to the organ. This includes an induction loop system The lighting The present system was installed in 199? It is the latest of many systems and is inadequate and does not work well. The Bells A peal of six bells certainly existed in the church by 1703. In 1902, the oak beams supporting the bells were found to be in an advanced state of decay. It was recommended that the bells be quarter tuned, two bells re-cast and two new bells added to complete the octave. The bells were re-hung in a wrought iron frame carried on steel girders in 1903. In 2004 as part of the 'Celebrating Community Appeal' the bells were taken down to be retuned. Four of the eight bells are now new bells, and new wheels were fitted to all the bells. The bells were rehung in the Autumn of 2004, all retuned to modern standards, giving a much improved sound. There is currently an application to the DAC to install a glazed screen between the ringing chamber and the Nave. The Churchyard Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 10
The churchyard contains two grade II listed monuments. Other Information Further details of the church, the churchyard, the registers, the parishioners and past incumbents and officers of the Parish of All Saints, Wokingham can be found at Reference 1, viz: 1. 'The Life of a Parish Church', J Clemetson, copyright All Saints Parish Church, Wokingham B. C. D. Photos and sketch plans Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 11
Edited version of the 1983 plan showing the 1990s changes, viz: move of rood screen to back of church, building of a platform for a new main altar (outline in red on the plan) and removal of same of the pews to accommodate this. Also new organ console, and audio desk. South elevation Wide view looking east in the church Copyright All Saints Church Wokingham January 2016 12