Pods and a restaurant in All Saints
In Herefordshire most things tend to be rural. This even applies in central Hereford. During the Civil War St Martin’s and St Nicholas churches were destroyed, leaving St Peter’s which was subsequently heavily Victorianised, and All Saints.
From a distance their spires are one of the sights of Hereford and the strong tower of All Saints seems part of the fabric of the town. Inside on a hot day there is that immediate feeling of peace and coolness that only a medieval building can give. Apart from an unusual 1933 East window by ME Aldrich Rope and a restored wall painting of a kneeling lady, there are today not many visible signs of its former glory. By 1995 it was on the at risk list: the west wall and tower were in a dangerous state.
During 1995 the architectural firm of RRA Architects Ltd of Hereford developed a three stage plan. Firstly the tower and west wall had to be repaired for a total cost of £1.3 million. Some grant money was obtained via English Heritage but a vast amount of money was borrowed and had to be repaid by the use of a building that was then visited by about 200 people per year. Secondly, an ingenious plan put a floating floor in the south-west nave, provided a kitchen and counter and a couple of pods for wcs and a church office. This freed up the large vestry which had a separate door and gave space for small exhibitions, book fairs, displays and other events.
The idea of a restaurant is not new. Cathedrals have been doing this for years in their cloisters. Visitors to Wells and Gloucester are greeted by very professional cloister restaurants that do not impinge on the atmosphere of either cathedral. In Truro Cathedral there is a separate structure with a stage
that is a restaurant during the day and in the evening is often used for lectures and concerts.
What is so ingenious about All Saints’ restaurant is that the new architecture is placed in such a way that it is pod-like and can be removed. The restaurant first floor seems to float above its small kitchen and serving counter. There is no screen between church and restaurant and services take place three times each week in the north chapel. There are pods for the wcs and for a small vestry, as well as a special long wheel chair ramp. The north door opens automatically and mothers with buggies love the place as they can get in and out easily.
Hereford diocese has some glorious churches, such as Shobdon St John with its Strawberry Hill Gothic interior and the fabulous St Margaret’s with its unique screen (1520) as well as larger churches like Abbey Dore that are worth putting on the tourist map. However our churches cannot live by tourism alone. Not all need to be turned into restaurants, some can be small meeting halls, offices, sheltered places. One in Bristol is used for training circus performers as it has a high roof. One in Presteigne provides an art exhibition space. The pews may have to be removed, or partially removed, but the future of our historic churches has to be planned now or it will be too late and the bulldozers will move in.
John Kinross Author: Discovering England’s Smallest Churches
Photos courtesy of RRA Architects Ltd, Hereford Garry Thomas 01432 278707
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www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk
church buildings
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