PROJECT 450

Project 450 is the name for St Mary Redcliffe's facilities development project. The project proposes a series of sensitive, new additions within the curtilage of St Mary Redcliffe Church to enhance the church’s function as a thriving Christian community, a welcoming heritage destination, a church that makes a difference in the parish and a sustainable and progressive organisation.

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The latest architectural report from Purcell, providing information about the proposed development of new facilities at St Mary Redcliffe Church.

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Keep up with all the latest news about St Mary Redcliffe’s facilities development project - read the latest Project 450 update here

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Project 450 Update

Work on the church’s facilities development project continues apace. During the last month, project architect, Dan Talkes, has been working on the architectural plans to ensure that the new buildings will be fit for purpose. This has included conversations with the Vergers about the relationship between old and new spaces to the north east of the church building, specifically the location and scale of the Vergers’ office, the amount and that nature of the various storage spaces that will be needed in and around the church, facilities for looking after the vestments and silver collection and the need for convenience when locating practical, everyday items such as cleaning supplies and equipment. This investigative process will provide information that will help Dan to make informed adjustments as he adds a finer layer of details to the architectural proposals.

As part of the same process, Dan and I have also started to look more closely at some of the historical documents that remain in the strong room. These include old photographs and illustrations of the church, as well as a large collection of architectural plans from the C19th and C20th restorations, including original work by George Godwin. Most of this work is of very high quality and a hugely valuable resource for the church. Of specific interest - because they inform our current investigations of ground levels outside the church - are drawings relating to the areas around the north porch, the tower and the undercroft, as well as the area to the south east of the church, in which there is a steep rise – currently navigated by steps – from the processional way to the south churchyard. As we are planning subterranean toilet facilities and a lift to make this area accessible to everyone, it is important that we gather information about the historical configuration of the land. 

During a recent day-long session going through these documents, we discovered some fascinating information about the history of the church that is not widely known. This includes historical plans for a crypt running from north to south along the eastern edge of the south churchyard, a coalhouse in the area just to the south of the processional way, and an alternative scheme for the undercroft to the north of the church. While some of these plans weren’t realised, the architectural drawings provide valuable information about the church itself, as well as the lay of the land in its immediate vicinity that can inform the plans for the proposed new buildings.

On Monday 16th September, we hosted a Project 450 Update session in church for members of the congregation, the local community and representatives of partner organisations. Dan Tyndall welcomed those in attendance before providing a background to the church’s development work. Dan Talkes then provided a brief overview before inviting the audience to the south transept to take a closer look at the most recent architectural designs. The event was very well attended, both by members of the community and members of the church congregation. We were also pleased to welcome representatives of the Canynges Society and Church Lands Charity, two organisations that have been extremely generous in supporting the project so far.

During the next few months Dan Talkes will continue his work on developing the architectural plans to RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Level 3 and the church project team will be working with Simon Hawkins of Glevum Consulting to write a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for funds to support the realisation of the first phase of the project 450 Business Plan.

Rhys Williams

18th September 2019

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Read the latest Project 450 newsletter here.

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P450 Update

Project 450 has seen significant progress during July and August. Lead architect, Dan Talkes, recently spent a week at St Mary Redcliffe, carrying out site surveys in preparation for the next phase of architectural planning. Following this Dan spent the next two weeks developing ideas and re-analysing the placement of architectural elements within the proposed scheme.

This work has uncovered some interesting possibilities: after analysing the ground levels in relation to the historical infrastructure and archaeology on the North Side of the church, Dan now thinks it may be possible to incorporate the medieval wall that once marked the boundary of the church land to the north into the design of the new north-side public space. This would see the creation of a two-tier landscaped area, using the historical wall as an element of the landscaping. This would form a central feature in the garden quadrant that will occupy the area between the music and exhibition spaces to the north east of the church and the new cafe, which will sit to the east of the current Undercroft. This unexpected and welcome finding raises the possibility of a greatly enhanced public space to the north, that has the potential to create interest by offering an external place that can promote engagement and interaction with the church’s past.

Another avenue of investigation that has come to light following the recent site survey and which is again linked with the medieval wall, is the possibility of creating what will, in effect, be a subterranean passage leading from the east end of the north churchyard (roughly, the area occupied by the carpark) towards the intended site of the new cafe just to the west of the north transept. This could be of crucial importance, because one of the major challenges of the church’s position, surrounded as it is by roads and tightly constrained on two sides, is the limited scope for the positioning of back-of-house facilities, such as spaces for bins, drop off points, and access for deliveries. At the moment, it is relatively easy to park in the carpark and deliver items to the cafe, for example. However, because new buildings are planned for this area, new routes will need to be found. There are already subterranean areas on the north side of the church, housing the plant room, a large disused oil tank and bellows for the organ. Since these areas have already been excavated, there is precedent for opening up new areas at the same level. Dan is now looking into the possibility of creating a corridor that would run from east to west, underneath the proposed new music facility and behind the line of the medieval wall, to communicate with the cafe. He is also investigating the possibility of fitting a kitchen for the new cafe at the same level. This would free up space in the area of the cafe, allowing a greater number of customers to be accommodated.

To the south of the church, Dan has been working on increasing the capacity of the south churchyard building so that it can accommodate 250 guests, which is the standard size for a wedding party. As well as addressing practical requirements relating to the space, he has also been considering possible aesthetic approaches to what will be quite a significant building for the church. Because of the practical constraints on building relating to the mature trees to the east of the south churchyard, thought has already been given to how this building can relate to its surroundings, both practically and aesthetically. The current plan is for a finely designed timber structured building that will sit on piles so as not to disrupt the roots of the trees. Further thought has raised the possibility of the structure using significant amounts of glass to create an environment in which the sylvan quality of the southeast churchyard can be experienced both inside and outside the building. 

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Project 450 Design Team visit - Monday 8 July

Earlier this week, Rev Dan Tyndall and the project team at St Mary Redcliffe met with members of the Project 450 Design Team to commence the next stage of planning work.

This phase will take place between now and February 2010 and will see the creation of a developed design scheme for the church’s new facilities, culminating in a planning application next year.

The Design Team consists of a range of professionals who will have responsibility for looking at various aspects of the design. Organisations represented at the meeting included:

Purcell - architectural design and project lead

Integral - structural engineering

QODA - mechanical, electrical and plumbing services

Gleeds - quantity surveying

LUC - landscape design and ecology consultancy

Following Monday’s meeting, Purcell will begin working on a Project 450 masterplan and a developed design, consulting with the other organisations on aspects of the project that require specialist expertise that falls outside of Purcell’s area of expertise.

During the next six months we will see new visuals, models and 3D images revealing what the proposed scheme will look like. This will then be consulted on widely, both with statutory organisations such as Historic England and the Church Buildings Council, and the various groups of church users, including members of the congregation, visitors and members of the wider community. 

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Read the latest Project 450 newsletter here

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Read the latest Project 450 Update here

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Rev Dan Tyndall provides an update on the latest Project 450 developments, including information about the next phase of the church’s architectural planning work and details of a bid to the National Heritage Lottery Fund to support vital business development work.

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St Mary Redcliffe secures support from the Cathedrals Project Support Panel

The Cathedrals Project Support Panel (CPSP) is a panel of voluntary experts who give their time to ensure that major projects in cathedrals are successfully devised, managed and delivered. The panel is made up of experts who offer their time voluntarily to help cathedrals navigate the early stages of large development projects. 

Following an autumn 2018 meeting with statutory stakeholders, including the Church Buildings Council, St Mary Redcliffe was offered support from the panel due to its status as one of the county’s greater parish churches and the scale and complexity of Project 450.

Thanks to this generous offer, the church will now have access to a panel of experts who will provide advice at key project stages, testing ideas and challenging assumptions, helping to ensure that all factors have been taken into consideration.

The initial meeting with the CPSP will take place on Wednesday 3 April. 

CPSP members in attendance will be:

Ed Baldwin, a retired senior partner in Arcadis, a global design, engineering and management consulting company, who is an expert in business development and large capital projects. 

Bonnie Kitching, an architect who describes her work as a portfolio ... spanning a decade that has been primarily focused in working with large complex sites embodied with built fabric and heritage that sit at the heart of community life. She has worked on a number of church projects and with the cathedral architects at York Minster, Southwark Cathedral, Shrewsbury Catholic Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral. 

Revd James Bryson, an architect with 20 years experience, now Parish Priest at St John the Baptist, Eltham, South London, who has particular interest in pre-project advice and the clarification of mission. He was Founding Director of Grace Architects, which worked for five years solely with church clients.

Jill Preston who has wide-ranging experience in marketing communications, project leadership and business planning both in major corporations and in senior roles at heritage and visitor attractions, including Kew Gardens. She is a former board director of ALVA (the Association of Large Visitor Attractions) and a board member of of the National Trust London and SE region. She also chaired Chelmsford Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee. 

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Project 450 Update

We are now nearing the end of the initial Project 450 planning phase - a three year period of organisational analysis and brief development. During this time the church has worked with teams of experts in various fields  - including heritage assessment and analysis, interpretation and learning, community engagement, fundraising and business planning - to build up a body of work that will form the foundation of the project masterplan, which will be produced by Purcell, the project architects, later this year.

During the last few months Simon Hawkins of Glevum Consulting has been working on the Project 450 Business Plan, the last piece of initial planning work, a document that lays out a framework for how the church can make best use of its current and future facilities, allowing it to develop into a more sustainable organisation.

 A brief summary of Simon’s findings is below.

 The church should:

Develop an attractive interpretation and visitor offer to:

- Increase dwell time on site - Increase visitor donations

Introduce heritage tours to generate revenue and interest

Introduce tower tours and roof tours to generate revenue and interest

Increase income per visitor by increasing the café and retail spend per visitor

Develop the church’s learning offer

Rehouse Hogarth’s St Mary Redcliffe altarpiece

Improve the front of house and visitor welcome

Develop and diversify the volunteer team to help deliver the improved visitor offer

The Project 450 Business Plan maps out a business development programme that will enable the church to achieve these objectives.

The programme of work would be facilitated by the recruitment of the following members off staff, over a number of years:

-      Business, Catering and Events Manager

-      Visitor Services Manager

-      Volunteer Manager

-      Curatorial Officer

The application of the business development plan will take place over a number of years and revenue will need to be generated to support the improvements to the visitor experience, increases in operational activity and new members of staff that it recommends. Accordingly the business plan maps out a six-phase approach to organisational development, which will take place over a seven year period. Each phase has a projected target for increased visitor numbers and associated targets relating to increased donations and visitor spend per visitor.

The information below is taken from the Project 450 Business Plan - Proposed Phasing of Improvements and is predicated on current estimated visitor numbers of 45,000 per year.

Phasing Plan

It would be sensible to put into place a structured phasing of improvements for St Mary Redcliffe’s development. This would ensure a steady revenue increase whilst ensuring the deliverability of the different elements and revenue streams. Phasing would allow for recruitment and training of the relevant staff with a minimum of disruption to the day to day functions of the church. Once recruited the key staff members can help to drive through the relevant changes.

It is proposed that a six-phase approach is adopted with each phase being on-going when the next phase is undertaken, so building up a multi-factored approach to the SMR offer.

The visitor side of the plan is very much driven by an increase of visitor numbers year-on-year, which can be achieved with an improved and enhanced experience within the church itself.

The business and events space (note: the south churchyard building) is not driven specifically by an increase in visitor numbers but may be influenced by this as the increased footfall within the church will raise public awareness of the added business and events offer.

Phase 0  (Visitor number projection of 50,000).

Phase 0 is to be considered a setting-up phase. Only a very modest projected rise in visitor numbers is envisaged during this six-month period (5000 increase). During this time the church will appoint and train the relevant staff  - the Visitor Services Manager and Volunteer Manager - to enable Phase 1 to be successful. This phase assumes no rise in donations, with the current donation average of £0.34 being in place.

Phase 1 (Visitor number projection of 60,000)

This is a 36-month period which will very much concentrate of an improvement to the existing church offer. The Business Catering & Events Manager will be employed and the new business, events and education buildings can be in the process of construction during this phase in anticipation of opening during Phase 2.

Phase 2 (Visitor number projection of 80,000)

This phase would see the business, events and education development side of SMR launched with the opening of the new business, event and education spaces in the south churchyard.  During this phase the visitor, music and operational facilities on the north side can be under construction in anticipation of opening during Phase 3.

All of Phase 1 activities would be on-going during phase 2 and would be enhanced by the opening of the new business, events end education spaces.

Phase 3 (Visitor number projection of 100,000)

This phase would see the opening of the visitor, music and operational facilities on the north side. These will house a temporary exhibition centre a new and improved café and restaurant facilities.

Phase 4 (Visitor number projection of 120,000)

This phase would see all areas of the new build open, as well as the choir vestry opened as a permanent exhibition and interpretative space, running with visitor numbers increased to around 120,000.

The new visitor centre will also house an on-going temporary exhibition program and lecture series managed by the curatorial manager.

Phase 5 (Visitor number projection of 140,000)

This is the final phase of the six-stage plan. The marketing budget would be increased by 50% to publicise the new facilities and maximise visitor numbers.

This would be a consolidation phase building visitor numbers through the increased marketing budget and strategy to the maximum of 140,000.

 Glevum’s business planning work work has been mapped against Purcell’s plans for a phased development of the new buildings, and provides a useful framework that can now be used by the church to plan its organisational development during the coming years. The project 450 Business Plan will now be fed into the ongoing architectural planning process that will be formally presented as the Project 450 masterplan in summer 2019.

If you would like further information about project 450, please contact Rhys Williams via email at: [email protected]

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Rev Dan Tyndall talks to Project 450 Architect, Dan Talkes about recent development in planning for St Mary Redcliffe’s facilities development scheme, Project 450.

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Read the March update on Project 450, including information about current work on the business plan, which has been supported by the Canynges Society

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Development update

The Project 450 team has an important meeting today to discuss the first draft of the project business plan - currently being worked on by Simon Hawkins of heritage business consultants, Glevum Consulting - as well as the important issue of project phasing.

Tackling Project 450 in phases will allow the church to make its planned architectural, business and operational improvements in a coherent and structured manner that takes account of available resources, making the overall project more manageable and, therefore, more achievable. The expectation is that this approach should also help when it comes to raising funds to help realise the various parts of the new development.

The meeting, which will be attended by Simon, Rev Dan Tyndall, Peter Rignall (SMR Operations Manager), Niall Phillips (Partner at P450 architects Purcell) and Rhys Williams (P450 Project Officer) will analyse the various kinds of planning mentioned above - architectural, business and operational - to ensure that the various strands of phasing are aligned. 

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Glevum Consulting working on Project 450 Business Plan

In the autumn, heritage business consultancy Glevum Consulting was appointed by the church to carry out a business plan for Project 450 - the last piece of preparatory planning work that’s needed, prior to the creation of a P450 masterplan. 

This piece of work follows a programme of work that has helped to build the church’s understanding of its heritage assets, looked at stories and themes associated with the church and how they might be effectively conveyed to visitors, mapped out a fundraising strategy and plan and carried out consultations with members of the local community. 

Simon Hawkins, Director of Glevum Consulting who has been involved in Bristol Old Vic’s successful redevelopment project, has spent the last few months looking at the potential for income generating activities to help the church become sustainable in the long run. His findings will inform further work by Purcell on the architectural masterplan, that will be worked on from April.

From Glevum Consulting’s website...

Our approach

We’ve been developing and delivering Heritage Lottery Fund projects since 2002, coupling passion for heritage work with consummate professionalism.

We offer a very personal, flexible and professional service and we’re comfortable working with a wide range of clients and multi disciplinary teams across both the public and voluntary sectors.

Our consultancy process has been carefully evolved to meet client needs as well as those laid down by the HLF. We recognise that HLF projects are holistic by nature, developing and delivering both the capital and activity works whilst simultaneously ensuring a seamless interrelationship between the two. Over the years we have combined our experience in delivering the large capital and activity programmes to good effect and have developed and delivered some very successful projects.

We offer more than generic project consultancy services. Simon Hawkins is a qualified heritage professional and has been involved in developing and maintaining high professional standards. This added depth and understanding of the heritage allows us the ability to add valuable expertise to projects. We can quickly spot potential “cracks” within overall projects and can react quickly to fill them and keep the project on track and scope. We also help clients extract strong overall value from projects through maximising the grant level from HLF, driving value through all stages and ensuring the maximum number of people benefit during the project whilst leaving a sustainable long term legacy.

SIMON HAWKINS, DIRECTOR BSC AMA FGS

Simon has been a committed heritage sector professional for 25 years. After graduating from University Of Wales in 1987 he obtained a coveted and internationally competitive place at the University Leicester (Certificate in Museum Studies). He then worked in National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and the University Museum in Oslo. In 1993 Simon was appointed by Kent County Council as the County Museum Officer managing the museum service and delivering a countywide advisory service to the heritage voluntary sector.

Simon was professionally elected Chair of the South East Museum Service in 1996. In 1998 he obtained his first successful Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) award. In 2003 Simon established Glevum Consulting Ltd to apply more widely his skills in fundraising and project management and pursue his passion for the wider heritage.  Since then he has delivered £20m of external funding, with the majority of this being HLF projects.

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A video update from Rev Dan Tyndall on recent Project 450 work