Stage C Design Report for Reordering Proposals St Mary, Melton Mowbray

Transcription

1 Stage C Design Report for Reordering Proposals St Mary, Melton Mowbray

2 ST MARY'S CHURCH, MELTON MOWBRAY 6855 STAGE C DESIGN REPORT 1.0 BACKGROUND This report is prepared following exhaustive analysis and consideration of the options by the Parish of St Mary s, Melton Mowbray to address their reordering needs and to support what is hoped to be the final informal application to Leicester Diocesan Advisory Committee for advice with the aim to achieve sufficient support to allow detail designs to be commissioned. Please note that separate Statements of Need and Significance have been produced to support the proposals. 2.0 SCOPED OF PROPOSALS The Parish has identified the following needs:- 1. Provision of toilet facilities in the North Transept / Vestry refurbishment 2. Provision of a servery 3. Draft proofing to West Porch 4. Draft proofing to North Transept 5. Raising the nave floor 6. Providing a secure crèche /meeting room 7. New sound system 8. Lighting 9. Organ refurbishment 10. Nave sanctuary furniture 11. Drapes and furnishings / South Transept mild re-ordering 12. Choir vestry The justification for these needs has been carefully considered within the Parishes Statement of Need.

3 B C A Plan of St Mary, Melton Mowbray showing extent of proposed works. These needs have resulted in three main areas of proposed physical interventions within St Mary s:- A B C West Porch and Nave. North Transept Vestries

4 3.0 WEST PORCH AND NAVE The west porch. Three key objectives have been identified for the proposals to the west porch and nave:- 1. To provide disabled access throughout the west porch, nave and transepts by raising floor levels to pre 1900 century levels. 2. To provide a glazed internal porch to allow the solid oak external doors to the church to remain open when the church is in use evening during inclement weather. 3. To provide a well presented main entrance area to the church to improve the welcome that can be offered. 3.1 Disabled Access The west porch doors, note the 19 th century quarry tiles to central low section of floor. The lowering of the floor in the nave in the 19 century appears to have extended into the west porch which resulted in two separate levels within the porch and steps down into the nave at this entrance. With the raising of the nave floor level a single floor plane can be achieved throughout the west porch, nave and transepts thus improving access for disabled persons and people with young children throughout. It also has the benefit of removing unsightly internal ramping to all these areas.

5 Internal ramp to west porch internal door, note that the existing cast iron radiators are supported on metal brackets; are these radiators fixed at the pre 19 th century floor level? In raising the nave floor level on-going problems with the nave floor will be addressed (please see Peter Rogan s report of 21 st August 2013) and the opportunity will be taken to install modern services, underfloor heating and other electrical services, with minimal archaeological implications. 3.2 Glazed Porch Initial proposals for the glazed internal porch to the west porch The design approach for the internal west porch has been driven by the desire to create a contemporary light touch intervention that is fully reversible. There are many such examples of

6 such intervention in highly significant grade I listed ecclesiastical buildings, a large and recent example of such is that of the work of Oliver Caroe at Ripon Cathedral. The glazed internal porches to Ripon Cathedral The glazed internal porch to St Mary s, Melton Mowbray is intended to be considerably more modest than the Ripon Cathedral example however it will have a similar ethos. The design and sizing of the new internal porch to St Mary s has been developed to allow disabled persons to operate the doors unassisted and without the need of automated opening devices assuming that the external oak doors are left in an open position. The use of automated opening devices is to be avoided as they can be large and aesthetically intrusive. The new porch will be constructed of frameless glass panels with a solid timber boarded cover that follows the line of the porch roof above. The timber cover will allow new recessed downlights to be installed within the porch. 3.3 Presentation and Welcome As noted within the Statement of Significance by the University of Leicester Archaeological Services, the significance of the south porch is considered to be High in relation to that of the rest of the church. Presently this space is dark and cluttered. The interior of the south porch, note the poor quality of lighting and presentation material.

7 As part of the proposed works we intend to clear the superfluous items to create a welcome space appropriate for a church of the quality of St Mary s. Display boards will be removed and new cohesively designed boards installed at the west end of the nave.

8 4.0 NORTH TRANSEPT The north transept Three key objectives have been identified for the proposals to the north transept:- 1. To provide flexible meeting and crèche facilities. 2. To provide suitable refreshments facilities. 3. To provide disabled access through the north door to the transept. 4.1 Flexible Meeting and Crèche Facilities The church has identified a need for flexible meeting and crèche facilities. The north porch is proposed as the most appropriate positioning for this use due to this area having its own external entrance and its proximity to the vestry spaces. After the exploration of numerous options the preferred solution reached is for the installation of a modern pod within the west aisle of this transept that can accommodate up to twenty adults. The form and size of the pod has been arrived at so as to reduce its visual impact upon the interior of the church. To achieve this careful consideration has been given to the key sightlines within the church and the relationship of the pod to the stain glass windows within its proximity. This approach to its design has resulted in a pod with a curved south face which allows the pod to be concealed upon entering the church through the west doors and it does not reveal itself until a person is stood at approximately the centre of the nave. Similarly so, the pod is concealed to persons within the majority of the chancel but due to the curved form it still allows sight of the south stain glass window to the west wall of the transept.

9 Sightline study of north transept pod The design of the pod has also been considered three dimensionally in massing terms to ensure that the north stain glass window to the west wall of the north transept is also not concealed. Please note that the massing model has been produced to explore the spatial impacts of the pod while indicating materiality; careful further design is required to resolve the pods fine detail which will be essential to ensure the success of the scheme. Massing model showing views of the pod from the nave and chancel.

10 Massing model showing the pod as seen from within the transept Plan of proposed pod to north transept showing alternative seating layouts Incorporated into the design of the pod will be a store and a draft lobby to the north door. The storage facilities will aid in removing the clutter in the northwest corner of the transept while the lobbying of the north door will ensure that an independent entrance and means of escape will be maintained.

11 As with the west internal porch the proposed pod to the north transept is intended to be a contemporary light touch intervention that is fully reversible. There are many examples of such interventions however particular comparison could be made with the pods that were installed at All Saints, Hereford by RRA Architects or the pods at St Botoph s, Boston by our own practice. All Saints, Hereford St Botoph s, Boston

12 4.2 Refreshment Facilities Presently the church serves refreshments following services and at other meetings in the north transept. The equipment used to provide these refreshments is currently stored in this area and thus creates more clutter within the fine interior of St Mary s. The current refreshment facilities The proposal for the new refreshment facilities is to create a servery that can be entirely concealed within its own self-contained cupboard beneath the north window to the north aisle. This will invariably become an item of high quality an example of such, executed in a contemporary manner, can be seen at St Botoph s Church, Boston. Refreshment facilities at St Botoph s, Boston; open and closed. Please note that the facilities anticipated as being required for St Mary s are likely to be more modest than the example above and will need to be carefully detailed to be in a style appropriate.

13 4.3 Disabled Access Disabled access to the north external door at St Mary s is currently not provided due to external levels being higher than the internal floor level within the transept. In addition to this the current timber ramping to this door presently conceals incoming heating pipes to the boilers located to the north of the church. The north transept external door. As part of the works to install the new pod within the north transepts it is proposed that external levels will be reduced to the north transept door to provided disabled access. The external approach to the north transept door, note that modern yorkstone paving to this door rises towards the threshold.

14 5.0 VESTRIES The vestries; north transept and choir vestry Two key objectives have been identified for the proposals to the vestries:- 1. To provide accessible toilet facilities. 2. To provide refurbished vestries that maximises storage facilities and in the case of the choir vestry provide opportunities for alternative use. In tandem with the development of the vestries proposals for the organ have been brought forward with the advice from Paul Hale; a separate report for which has been produced. His proposals to meet the needs of the church, at its most basic level, entail extending the organ case approximately a further 0.5 meter into the north transept vestries. This necessitates some replanning of these vestries as a consequence which has been considered as part of these proposals. 5.1 Toilet Facilities Following extensive consultation, including the DAC, SPAB, English Heritage etc, the general concessive has been reached that the best location within the church for new accessible toilets is the north bay of the north transept vestries. To maximize the space available with the toilet area and within the remaining area of the clergy and wardens vestry it is proposed that the existing screens will be brought forward to align with the west face of the existing organ case. The column to the aisle in which the vestries are located will remain visible within the north transept by constructing new sections of panelling to return back to the column. Careful detailing of the new toilet facilities to minimise the physical impact on the existing architecture and archaeology to the toilet area particular as the step in this area will have to be removed to provide a level access to the disabled persons wc.

15 Plan showing proposed toilet facilities to north transept. 5.2 Refurbishment of clergy, warden and choir vestries As noted above, a complete refurbishment of the clergy, warden and choir vestries is anticipated. Detailed designs for this work are yet to be brought forward however, the simple objective here is to make best use of these areas to store the necessary items (vestments, music sheets etc) and provide the back of house facilities needed in all churches. The impacts on the existing church fabric for this work are not anticipated to be significant as this work will primarily comprise of joinery items. Careful detailed design and a full understanding of the items to be store and used in these areas is necessary to make best use of these spaces. Mark Pearce September 2013