South Aisle Project
Creating space for welcome, worship and community.
At St Andrew’s, we want to be a place people can call home. We are rooted in Jesus, becoming more like him and sharing his love.
We are exploring some changes to the south aisle of our church to help us make better use of the building and create a more flexible space for hospitality, fellowship, worship and ministry.
Before we take the next steps towards a faculty application, we want to share our thinking, answer questions and hear your views.
We would love you to be part of the conversation.
Why are we exploring change?
Our church building is an important part of our life together. It is a place where we worship God, grow in faith, build friendships and welcome people from across our community.
As St Andrew’s grows and develops, we want to make sure our building continues to serve the needs of our church family and the wider community.
Our church hall is already well used during the week. Making better use of the church itself could give us more flexibility to run activities alongside one another, create welcoming spaces for people to gather, and support the different ways we seek to share the love of Jesus.
We believe there may be an opportunity to make the south aisle a more flexible, welcoming space while continuing to honour the history and character of our church.
What about seating, safety and accessibility?
We know that removing pews raises practical questions.
We are considering how the space will be used, how people will move through it, and how to ensure the layout is safe and accessible. This includes considering potential trip hazards and how the transition between different floor levels will work.
We also want to think carefully about how seating will be provided and how the space will continue to serve the needs of people attending worship.
If there are particular concerns or suggestions you think we should consider, we would genuinely welcome hearing from you.
Why are we asking for your views?
We want to approach this project openly and thoughtfully. Before finalising our proposal and submitting the faculty application, we want to hear from the people who worship at St Andrew’s, those who use the building, and others who care about the church.
You do not need to be an expert in church buildings or architecture to contribute. We want to understand what matters to you, what opportunities you see, and what questions or concerns you may have.
Your feedback will be considered as we develop the proposal. We will review the responses and report back on the main themes and any changes or further work arising from them.
This is an opportunity to help shape the conversation before we take the next steps.
What are we proposing?
We are exploring the removal of:
Ten pews in the south aisle, in front of the screen.
Including two pews in a small section of the nave, to create space for wheelchair access into the main area of the church.
This would create more open space that could be arranged to suit different activities and occasions.
We envisage a space that could support:
Hospitality and refreshments: making it easier to serve tea and coffee at our services and spend time together.
Fellowship and community: providing room for conversations, gatherings and informal events.
Children’s, youth and family ministry: creating additional flexibility for Littlees and groups.
Worship and prayer: allowing the space to be used in different ways as the needs of the church change.
These are potential uses rather than a fixed programme. The aim is to create a space that can adapt to the life and ministry of St Andrew’s.
Have your say!
We would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to share your thoughts using the form below.
You might be excited about the possibilities, unsure about some aspects, or concerned about particular details. All thoughtful feedback is welcome.
What opportunities do you see? What concerns should we address? What might we have overlooked?