'The Spire' - redundant church takes on a new role in the community

Standing forlorn, neglected and decaying, the Church of St Peter at Ufton Nervet, a small hamlet in West Berkshire, was one of the many redundant churches throughout the country. It had been built in 1862 on the site of an earlier medieval church, through the instigation of the then rector James Frazer (one-time Bishop of Manchester) and the generosity of Richard Benyon, ancestor of the present custodian of the nearby Englefield Estate.

In 2002 a small group of local people formed the St Peter's Ufton Charitable Trust, with overwhelming local support. They set out to rescue the building and create a vibrant cultural community centre to provide leisure and entertainment for the surrounding area.

Spurred on by a generous grant, the trustees embarked on a programme of works entailing repairs to the roof and engaging the services of a specialist stained glass window restorer. The latter was to repair the ravages caused to the northern windows by teenagers hurling bricks at them.
Said chairman of the trustees, P H Newall: "Our restorer, Barry Davis of Leadcraft Reading, did a magnificent job of restoration and the windows are a particularly attractive retained feature."

In November 2012 the charity finally secured the freehold of St Peter's and the trustees were able to proceed with all the design and tendering and local authority consents. By March this year all was in place and creation of The Spire - the name chosen for the centre - was ready to move forward.

After the trustees had viewed the work done at St Michael's Church in Tilehurst, the contract was awarded to J G Restorations Ltd under the experienced leadership of Michael Bartoletti.

Mr Newall continued: "A project like this one requires rather more of the chosen contractor and his clients than a formal business project might do: it requires the people concerned to share the vision and dream of what they are trying to create. Happily, that has been a special part of our relationship with Michael and J G Restorations. The trustees are confident the end result will be a truly magnificent venue, provoking a big WOW! factor in all those who enter."

The centre will comprise a main auditorium, performance area, changing room for performers and a heritage area. A kitchen and cloakroom facilities are also included. The large ledger stones that had been laid in the floor have been lifted, and are now fixed vertically to the wall so that visitors can see them - provoking in some the wish that they had studied Latin at school!

"When polished they will look stunning and will show dates, a detail that seems to interest most people," commented P H Newall. "In general, the trustees are keen to retain as many of the historical artifacts as possible, and Major John Steeds and David Pearse have volunteered to organise the heritage area as one of special interest to visitors."

One of the safety requirements was for a second door as a means of escape in emergency. The trustees decided to have a door that matches the style of the existing front door, which is very special in character. Samuel MacArthur of Ramsbury Stonemasons was chosen to do the work, along with the cleaning of the internal stonework and the moving of the ledger stones.

Several generous people and organisations have helped with funding for The Spire, however such a building is a hungry beast. Nevertheless, it is hoped that by the end of November the work will be completed and additional funds to equip it will have been secured.

Mr Newall explained: "We are not quite there yet, so any contributions to help us fit out The Spire will be most gratefully received and acknowledged. Donations can be made most effectively through the Greenham Trust Matched Funding scheme. Doners can go to findmeagrant.org and follow the links to our reference: WB10646 under Berkshire."

Looking towards the day when the centre opens, events manager Duncan Highet has taken on the responsibility for organising all kinds of events, including old time music hall, plays, concerts and films.

Said Duncan: "We hope to arrange all kinds of anniversary and commemorative parties there. We will invite businesses to use the venue for sales conferences and 'away days', providing their employees with a unique and inspiring venue. Our minds race away with ideas whenever we talk about what events to hold, so we are champing at the bit as we work on towards completion."

Chairman Newall summed up the anticipatory feeling: "Our very strong board of trustees and the volunteers forming our operations committee look forward greatly to welcoming visitors to the centre when it is opened. Watch this space for further news!"

For more information visit www.jgrestorations.co.uk