Ever since the 1920s it has been an aspiration to provide further community space on the present site of Emmanuel Church and now, a century later, we have realised that vision to ensure that Emmanuel is available to the whole community in all its diversity not just on Sundays, but all seven days of the week.
The impetus for the present project designed by Donald Insall Associates – Community Space @ Emmanuel Church – and building by the Gowlain Building Group started initially with the pressing need to correct the church’s sinking and uneven floor. This work has involved removing everything from the church, taking out the existing floor, under-piling and installing new pylons, on which is stood a reinforced concrete slab. On top of this there is a new Timoleon under-floor heating system and a Junckers American Oak new wooden floor. Sustainability and care for the environment are part of our core values and this system is much more efficient than the previous antiquated system.
In place of the previous, somewhat tired 1960s community room, we have built a suite of four new community rooms and installed a new kitchen, accessible WC, shower room and baby changing facilities, together with other WCs are available to all. The area in the two bays at the west end of the church has been cleared to create a large open hall space for large-scale community activities and meetings and is actively used by a number of theatre schools and other local groups.
The north east porch under the bell tower has been remodelled with a gentle ramp to allow access for wheelchair, push chairs and other users with limited mobility.
To view a Flickr stream of the building project from beginning to end, please click HERE.
The restored church and community space was dedicated and officially openings by the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd & Rt Hon Richard Chartres, together with Councillor Nadia Shah Mayor of the London Borough of Camden and Tulip Siddiq MP for Hampstead and Kilburn on Thursday 17 November 2016.
Architectural drawings of the development can be accessed by clicking on the links below:
Final drawings of downstairs of Building Project
ECWH – Final drawings of downstairs of building project