ESHER GREEN BAPTIST CHURCH
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Client: Esher Green Baptist Church
Architect: MEB Design Limited Quantity Surveyor: Synergy Project Manager: Synergy
Value: £1m
Esher Green Baptist Church is a distinctive building dating from the latter half of the 19th century. It has been identified as a significant unlisted building in a recent character appraisal document produced for the Esher Conservation Area
The single storey structure to the rear of the main church was demolished and a new modern extension was constructed linked to the existing church by a link block. The new extension is used as a meeting area for the church with enough space for 179 seats. The link block also contains a kitchen and vestry, plus a disabled toilet.
The project also included alterations to the existing church building. The alterations involved a vertical extension to the church. The main church building was broken into several meeting and function rooms to be used by various church and community groups. The conversion includes new male and female toilets and several rooms of differing sizes, some of which have moveable partitions to enable them to be joined to create larger spaces. A lift was also provided so that the first floor was accessible for all.
The modern contemporary rear element of the proposal is connected to the historical front section of the building by way of a link block. This link section is glazed and is intended as a device for showing a clear distinction between the older, historic element and the new contemporary rear element.
The new facilities at the church improved the services that the church could provide to the local community and established a focus for the community.