St. Mary's Stoke Newington The Old Church Project Fact sheet

Development Plans for a Community Arts Centre St Mary’s Old Church was built in the 16th century. It is one of only a few Elizabethan churches in the country, and one of the oldest Anglican churches that was never a Roman Catholic church. The Old Church building suffered extensive bomb damage during the Second World War but was later repaired and is used regularly for worship and for concerts. However its use is limited by its condition. The parish is planning to restore the Old Church and extend it to the size it was before it was bombed, so it can be used as a community arts centre. The Arts Centre Project The church (which owns the building) is working with Stoke Newington School, Hackney Youth Services, and Common Air Theatre (a community arts group that works with young people) and Turkish/Kurdish cultural group Renkart to plan this project. It has carried out research into the needs of  the local area and would like to see the Old Church building used as a community arts centre where all sections of our local community are welcome, not only those who use existing cultural venues. This would see a rare historic building not only preserved to make our local area more interesting, but used for activities that will make Stoke Newington an even more attractive place to live and visit. It will also provide a way to pay for the ongoing maintenance and repairs that old buildings need. Outline of plans           The Parochial Church Council (the group of people elected to run the church) is seeking planning permission and funding to regenerate the Old Church. We would like to build an extension on the original footprint of the building, on the north side facing Clissold Park. This will replace the 1950s construction which is of no historic or architectural interest. It will create a large, flexible space for performances, workshops, exhibitions and other events. The plan includes a small café/bar for refreshments during performances and a flat above to help generate income that will subsidise community activities in the building. There will be access to the church from Clissold Park, which is also due to be redeveloped. Two (one fully disabled, one ambulant disabled) will be installed in the former boiler room of the Old Church and a new, energy-efficient heating system will be installed. Currently the Old Church has no toilets and only a few unsightly electric heaters. Solar energy cells have been considered but are not viable in this location which is shaded by trees, so other options for heating are being evaluated. We would like to remove the 19th Century box pews from the nave so almost the whole building can be used for performances, worship and events. In the South Aisle – the oldest part of the building  - we will recreate the original arrangement of family box pews as the centrepiece of an educational exhibition to help all visitors, especially school parties, understand and appreciate the building and the history it represents. The work will be sensitive to the historic fabric internally and externally, with the extension designed to be beautiful and sympathetic to its environment next to the park. The plan is for a wooden construction with tall, narrow windows and a sedum roof. Matthew Lloyd Architects, a firm based in Shoreditch, were chosen for the project by competitive tender. The parish was impressed with their sensitive work at St Paul's, Bow, which won the RICS award for Community Benefit in the London region in 2005 and was Highly Commended nationally. Where we are at present We applied to the Big Lottery for a grant of £500,000 towards this work. The have given us a Development Grant of £25,000 to help us plan the project. By 1 September we need to obtain planning permission and have complete plans for the project, then we can go back to the Big Lottery and ask for the full grant. The work will cost nearly £2 million altogether. We are applying for other grants, but we will also need the support of businesses and individuals who share our desire to improve life for everyone in this area. We hope that work will start before the end of 2009 and take a year to complete. Have your say What do you think? What kind of events or activities would you like to see in the Old Church Community Arts Centre? If you would like to comment on our development plans or find out more, please get in touch with the project steering group at: St Mary’s Church, Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 9ES  Telephone 020 7254 6072 (church office)  Email rectorofstokey@btinternet.com What do you think? What kind of events or activities would you like to see in the Old Church Community Arts Centre? If you would like to comment on our development plans or find out more, please get in touch with the project steering group at: St Mary’s Church, Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 9ES  Telephone 020 7254 6072 (church office); email rectorofstokey@btinternet.com