This Sheffield reordering has resulted in the re-birth of a community church as a multi-functional building accessible to all, seven days a week.

The mission of the church to re-establish St Paul’s as a vibrant community heart has been achieved with the contemporary reorder of the worship space and the addition of an oak and glass screen to the West end of the nave which encloses two floors of new facilities built to a high-quality finish.  As a result the church is now open to more flexible patterns of worship whilst meeting the needs of the wider community as a whole – ensuring healthy economic sustainability well into the twenty-first century.

Glass doors to the roadside elevation enhance a welcoming approach and inside the parish office provides a reception to newcomers through an internal window.  Further in the new meeting place has an oak boarded floor and the introduction of a kitchen into the North Aisle provides refreshment through a servery to tables and chairs located beneath a feature barrel-vaulted ceiling.  In the worship space, the levelling of the floor and replacement of pews with flexible seating has enabled the nave to be used for a variety of events and activities.  Overlooking this through the gothic arched screen window is a large upstairs meeting room, served by it’s own tearoom and fully accessible via a new lift.

The large internal volume of the church has made it possible to create all these various elements within the church itself, within the constraints of quite a tight budget.

Built between 1875-7 upon the side of a hillside by prolific local church architect John Dodsley Webster, the distinctive octagonal lantern and spire of St Paul’s at Norton Lees has been a visible landmark across Sheffield’s southern suburbs for over 130 years.

Subsequent parish growth resulted in the need for considerable expansion, and in 1935 William Flockton was commissioned to add the vestry and adjoining parish room in addition to spacious north and south side aisles.  Ten years later a parish hall was built nearby.

By the turn of the century the St Paul’s was certainly due an upgrade.  Narrow  and uncomfortable dark varnished pews in a rigid formation dominated the nave.  An overpowering 40 year old second hand organ took up the whole of the West end and blocked the West door.  An oppressive colour scheme and poor lighting contributed to the church appearing dark and gloomy.

A number of steep steps at the South door made wheelchair access to the main entrance a major problem.  Internally, various floor levels and the pew platforms made accessibility difficult.  The adjoining parish room was in a poor state of repair and there was only one toilet. 

Additionally, the nearby parish hall was deemed to no longer comply with current legislations, and would require a huge investment before it could continue to be used to host public events.  This was huge investment that the parish could not afford.
Barlow, Wright and Phelps were appointed as architects in August 2001 and commissioned to carry out a feasibility study to investigate reordering the church.  This assisted the PCC under the enthusiastic guidance of Rev. Murray Brown to make some tough decisions about the future St Paul’s and the development of the parish community.

The consequent sale of the hall combined with parish contributions and successful funding applications brought in funds enough to allow the project to proceed as the church decided to consolidate their assets within the one building.

Initial aims included the achievement of a much more flexible worship space that could accommodate concerts, drama, lectures, public meetings and the provision of a gathering/refreshment area near the main entrance of the church.  The provision of a ‘hard hall’ was needed to replace facilities lost by the sale of the parish hall and in addition a much more open, welcoming feel to the approach and entrance to the church was required (naturally including full disabled facilities).

Development of the scheme succeeded in reducing the gap between feasibility study aims and budget reality without omitting the essential components of the reorder.

An expanded design team complete with structural and services engineers, client representatives and quantity surveyor successfully managed to complete project planning to a budget of £450,000.  Under the guidance of conservation architect Peter Barlow work on-site at St Paul’s began in earnest in Autumn 2005.

The competitive tender process was completed and to the joy of the church local contractor T&C Williams submitted the successful bid.  A building contractor based just 500yds along the road, their appointment highlights the scheme as a true community project – built by the community for the community.

The worship space has been reordered to create a light and attractive fully accessible and flexible space.  The new colour scheme enhances the lines of the columns, arches, walls and roof and the removal of the fixed pews to be replaced by chairs has created a flexible open space that will encourage creative worship – in particular the use of drama, music and the arts.

A wonderful feel of community has been created around the projecting raised dais with communion table, as the separation so inherent to Victorian churches is removed and worship is conducted almost in the round.  The simple space with a number of important (but not obtrusive) Christian symbols also has the ability to become a place for many secular activities – without denying it’s Christian roots.  This is enhanced by an ability to alternate orientation and arrangement. The utilisation of the side aisles for smaller meetings or study groups enhances the potential use of the space for presentations, seminars and conferences.

The removal of the organ and it’s subsequent relocation to a church in Poland presented the ideal opportunity to implement an open door project, as the entrance is realigned to create an East-West axis enhanced by a barrel vaulted ceiling beneath the new first floor and a series of fully glazed doors.  These allow the passer-by visual access to the interior at all times and glimpse the stunning East window.  Re-planning of the floor levels ensures accessibility for all.

The charming, friendly meeting place with oak boarded floor has a capacity of 60 and is flanked by the kitchen, an office and full sanitary provision with further flower vestry and cleansing cupboard with additional storage.  The kitchen servery enables an ideal gathering space prior to or following events.  An essential component to administer the church centre is the office, which via an opening window to the porch also serves as a reception.  A new south window enables ambient surveillance of new emergency exit at the foot of the stairs.

The new upper hall has a capacity of 60 and has it’s own kitchenette and some much-needed storage.  Pleasant reflections of the West windows can be seen in the gothic arched screen that has been designed to mirror the East window.  A small disabled lift offers a convenient alternative to the stairs.

In addition to the new spaces created the church has benefited from a number of new and innovative devices that take advantage of modern technological innovations in sound, lighting and heating.  The digital organ utilises fully integrated ‘sound wall’ technology with speakers built into the fabric of the new screen and hidden behind acoustic cloth.  The nave lighting scheme has large ceiling-hung lights, which can be lowered at the touch of a button for ease of maintenance.  A fully integrated computerised building management system enables lighting and heating to be controlled with the possibility of isolating rooms subject to requirements.

With this modern reordering St Paul’s has seized the opportunity to re-assert itself as the vibrant heart of the local community whilst giving the opportunity to secure an invaluable and sustainable source of revenue.  Full modernisation has been achieved whilst the older features and historic character of the building have been enhanced.  The new church provides the opportunity for sensitive, respectful encounter and interaction with neighbours whatever their faith.  Under the banner of the St Paul’s Church and Centre, the building’s use as a religious centre and community facility have become indistinguishable.

4 ST JAMES TERRACE
BUXTON · DERBYSHIRE
SK17 6HS

TEL : (01298) 70054
FAX : (01298) 72303