Reordering Project
A message from the Vicar
In Holy Trinity Church we have a place of worship that has continued to serve generations of our Cuckfield community since the 11th century. Whilst much of the structure remains as it has been for some hundreds of years, the arrangement of the interior has frequently been altered. Change, however, should never be made merely for change’s sake, but rather to meet the evolving needs of the worshipping community.
In recent years diverse styles of worship have developed based on community needs. Yet all of these are being conducted within facilities created by the Victorians in the 19th century. These have certainly served us well for 150 years, yet time has taken its toll on the building. The exciting challenge for us now is to provide suitable worship space for current and future generations.
We are blessed with a church of spectacular beauty – ceiling, stained-glass windows, organ, etc. – all of which have been recently lovingly restored and which we will continue to protect and cherish for our successors.
The repair, restoration and reordering project will, however, help ensure that Holy Trinity can meet Cuckfield’s needs as a place of worship for the next 150 years. Whilst the Church has been and will remain just that – a place of worship – we look forward to the changes proposed enabling it also to accommodate more community activities than at present.
I hope that you use your love and enthusiasm for the Church to support us to deliver the exciting vision for the future that this vital project represents.
Yours in Christ.
Nick Wetherall
Key Features of the Project
The project involves only the interior of the Church. No alterations are proposed to the stone structure of the Church, or to its windows or ceiling – all of which have been lovingly restored within the past ten years – nor to much else of interior. The largest part of the project is essential repair and replacement of the flooring and heating distributon system within the Nave and Tower Vestry and the installation of a new limestone floor and sustainable underfloor heating. The Baptistry floor – one of the earliest-known Minton encaustic tiled floors – is to be carefully conserved and restored, and the Baptistry itself brought back into fuil use. The Nave pews, which are in very poor condition and which the Church's Inspecting Architect has recommended for replacement, are to be removed and replaced with new oak chairs, permitting a 'gathered' worship arrangement and providing greater comfort. Improvements in the furnishing of the Welcome Area of the Church and to the Children's Area are part of the project. The wish to create a greater sense of welcome extends to the addition of glazed inner doors to the North Porch. Full integration of the Chancel and Nave will be achieved by the creatyion of an extended Chancel dais, the relocation of the Chancel screen into the Tower Vestry and the provision of new, adaptable choir stalls. A new, discreet, audio-visual system will be provided.
The changes described are driven both by essential repair and repstoration and by the worship and mission needs of the Church in the 21st century, which are rather different from the 19th century. Whilst meeting these primary needs, every effort hs been made to ensure that the reordered church is much more suitable as a bse for community activity. It is certain that more and bigger concerts will take place once the space is available to accommodate a fuill orchestra, and we envisage many other opportunities for the resource of the reordered Church to serve the parish.
The Lee Evans Partnership,which has extensive experience of ecclesiastical reordering schemes, has been appointed to support the Church as architects to the project.
An exhibition of the plans continues in the Lady Chapel of the Church daily from 09:30am-4:30pm (other than during Service Times.)
Timing
The Chancellor of the Diocese of Chichester granted a full Faculty ('plnanning permission') for the repair, restoration and reordering project in July 2011. The project will take place between January to June 2012. During this period during the Church will need to be closed. Normal services will, however, continue in The Old School..
Consultations
There has been extensive consultation and communications within the Church, wider Parish and with other organisations over two years. This is a continuing process and views and comments are welcomed by the Reordering Project Group, which is a foirmal Committee of the PCC. Please contact the Group Chairman, Colin Sewell-Rutter.
An Autumn Newsletter gives lots of information about the project and tells you how you can help make it happen.
You can donate online now to the Reordering Project Appeal. Thank you.
