Refurbishment Project
The refurbishment project is providing a much-needed modernisation of our facilities, including:
- Better accessibility, reducing the number of levels between rooms etc
- A new, more welcoming exterior and entrance
- Soundproofing in the hall
- An new organ console
- A new kitchen
- A new vestry
- A new boiler
- New toilets, including a disabled toilet
- Preservation of important historic features
The current completion date is 11th October 2010 but this is likely to extend a little if any additional work to that originally planned needs to be done.
Latest News
22nd August 2010
The scaffolding has come down from the hall, making the acoustic tiling, new lighting and paintwork visible.
Some of the internal doors are fitted, others are under construction.
The heating pipes will more or less remain intact. This pipe at the back of the church has been diverted underground to make way for the new entrance from the car park.
Some more of the internal fixtures are now in place.
The stonework on the St Peter's Street side is being cleaned. Most of the windows on this side will have slim double glazing installed.
Away from the premises in Suffolk the semi-spiral staircase is being made, along with a variety of fire-resistant doors. The large glazed screen for the passage and the new north door are being fabricated in Oldham, Manchester. The remote console for the organ is being constructed in Cambridge.
8th August 2010
The kitchen units are being installed and storage units are going into the (former) lower classroom.
The flat roof now has a protective covering.
In the basement, much of the new wiring and pipework from the new boiler is in place.
Some of the bricks that were deteriorating have been replaced with ones reclaimed from other parts of the building.
1st August 2010
The railings on the Castle Street side have been removed for stripping prior to repainting.
Work has started on the lift, which will provide wheelchair access from the hall to the main church building.
18th July 2010
Work on the new side entrance from the car park has started.
There is now a hatch to the roof.
The steps to the basement are complete.
The walls of the (former) lower classroom have been plastered. The foundation stone that was set in the wall of this room has been raised to be above the new floor. The stone was originally part of the 1863 chapel on this site. Also in this room are some experiments with double glazing the windows.
4th July 2010
The new flat roof over the entrance hall is under construction.
Walls for all four toilets are complete. The two upstairs are of timber studwork and the two below, including the disabled toilet are of blockwork on a gentle curve.
Much hidden work has gone on in the boiler room, basement and elsewhere with new pipe runs and conduits for wiring. A new set of narrower steps down to the basement are being built on top of the old ones.
The doorway to the (former) lower classroom is in place. The new insulated floor will bring the level up to the bottom of the door frame
Work in the hall is reaching the stage where redecoration can begin and the scaffolding can be taken down.
20th June 2010
Even beneath the scaffolding, the stonework on the outside of the building is looking much cleaner. The stonework from the old entrance to the hall is now in place on the new entrance.
13th June 2010
The disabled toilet is taking shape. This is immediately on the left after entering the building from the St Peter's Street entrance.
More work is being done behind the scenes upstairs, much of which is inaccessible.
The new side entrance to the hall has been started. This will be on the Castle Street side, opposite the church.
30th May 2010
Construction of the new entrance into the church from the Castle Street side and the upstairs floor has started.
23rd May 2010
We are now six weeks into the six month contract. Progress has been excellent and helped by good weather.
The raised floor to the lower classroom is in place.
The walls for the new kitchen and vestry are now complete.
The soundproofing is being installed in the ceiling of the hall.
Externally on the Castle Street and car park frontages, subcontractors are applying cleaning paste to the stonework. To prevent premature drying, the paste is covered using either polythene or aluminium foil, giving our tower a silvery look.
16th May 2010
A doorway has been built between the old vestry and the hall. The walls dividing the vestry, the vestry toilet and the hall toilet have been demolished.
Upstairs, the north-east facing external wall has been demolished in preparation for the new entrance between the church and church hall.
The upstairs floor has also gone.
In the lower classroom supports for the new higher floor are in place.
25th April 2010
Shortly after Easter, the old boiler was dismantled and a replacement installed.
The partition around the kitchen has been removed, along with the folding screen, built-in cupboards and wooden porch in the hall.
Some of the new rooms are already taking shape, including the new vestry, which will occupy part of the old small hall, the enlarged kitchen and servery.
