Holy Trinity Church, Nailsea
The areas involved
Seating Balcony Church entrance Baptistery Floor Trinity Centre Seating
This is where it all began. The pews were falling apart, and not very comfortable. In terms of the life of the church (about 700 years) they were a relatively new addition, so we felt justified in removing them and introducing moveable chairs. Apart from the increased comfort of the new seating, it gives us the flexibility of layout, and hence church usage, that we felt should be a major goal of the reordering. Some of the examples of seating we saw in other churches, old and new alike, are shown in the pictures.The balcony
Why on earth did we remove the balcony, when it was installed only thirty years ago to help with the overcrowding we were experiencing then? Well, there were lots of related reasons, but primarily we believed its removal would have a really beneficial impact in terms of opening up, and enhancing the whole "feel" of the church. Of course we lost a little seating, but if the church becomes overcrowded again, we will be able to use other methods to deal with the problem, such as doubling up on services, or even creating another church plant.Floor
The floor design went through a number of different arrangements as we considered the various options. In the end we returned to the original recommendation of a completely timber floor. The architect developed an arrangement which gives a wooden floor in the main body of the church, with a raised stone floor in the chancel and stone features around the edge of the church and the pillars.Trinity Centre
Work on improvements to the Trinity Centre is in its early planning stage as of winter 2005, and will include a number of features.The existing entrance to the premises takes us through an unattractive route past the loos and cleaner's cupboard. To improve this we propose a new main entrance to the Trinity Centre via a double set of doors in the glazed west side of the welcome area.
The kitchen will be enlarged and re-equipped, and new storage areas will be created. New floor coverings will be installed in the main lounge area and the welcome area.
Church entrance
The new entrance doorway into the church has now been completed. It is hoped that with the Trinity Centre work it will be possible to incorporate a new stained glass window above the new door.Baptistery
A permanent baptistery has been installed in the southwest corner of the church, and the existing font relocated adjacent to it. The thinking behind the baptistery is simply a reflection of the changing nature of baptism within the Anglican church. Far fewer children are being baptised as infants, and in future far more adults will be expecting full immersion. Baptism by immersion is an accepted Anglican practice which needs to be recovered as an option for the benefits of its powerful symbolism. It may not seem a significant issue at present, but in our planning we are trying to look as far into the future as we can.HOW IT ALL HAPPENED
At a meeting on 31 March 2003, the PCC gave the go-ahead for the contract to be placed for the main work to be done in the church itself (ie pews, floor and balcony removal, new floor, baptistry, entrance doorway from the Trinity Centre, heating and lighting, plus redecoration). The contractor was Ellis & Co of Shepton Mallett, who are specialists in church restoration work.This was followed with the seating, chancel furniture, and audio system.
The total cost of the reordering project so far is approximately £300,000. Money was raised during a series of gift days during 2002 and 2003, by straight gifts, loans, and covenant gifts, plus a number of grants.
WORK COMPLETED SO FAR
- Removal of the existing pews and replacement with new seating
- Removal of the existing balcony
- Removal of the existing floor and replacement with a continuous timber floor over the whole church building
- Addition of a baptistery
- Replacement of the existing lighting and heating systems
- Replacement of the existing audio system
- Improvement of the access between the church and the Trinity Centre by the creation of a new doorway
WORK STILL TO BE DONE
- Visual system in the Church
- Improvement in the Trinity Centre, particular the kitchen facilities, storage and floor covering
Timetable
The church was closed in April 2003. At the end of February 2004, it was reopened and dedicated by the Archdeacon of Wells.