Christ Church Stone Work Project Success

Dramatic facelift for iconic Chiswick landmark

Christ Church is thrilled to announce the shroud that hides the popular community space and church known as Christ Church Turnham Green is being unveiled! The steel shuttering surrounding the Church will have disappeared by the end of January. The scaffolding work which has been in place since June is now being dismantled. The church will have cast off its metal chrysalis, which has been in place for some six months, to reveal a sympathetic restoration and revitalised appearance.

Why do the work?

Christ Church is used 7 days a week for community purposes. You may know it as one of the original pioneers of the Shelter Project for the homeless, but did you also know about the extensive use through the week by people of all ages in the community? There are parent and toddler activities 6 days a week, a community café, a tweenager club for 9-12s and two youth clubs for 11-14s and 14-18s. The church is open each day for drop in, and prayer and practical courses like the famous Marriage Course and two parenting courses run alongside our Christian Baiscs (ALPHA) course. We’ve also hosted NCT sales, Chiswick Saturday of Sport, Friends of Turnham Green, run 4 services on a Sunday for all ages and backgrounds and much more besides

With all this activity the increasing danger of masonry falling could not be overlooked. So the church has been made safe for the coming generations, and for the whole community.

Dangerous masonry has been removed. Damaged eroded stone has been replaced and repaired. But we’ve not just safeguarded the building. Much of the stonework has been cleaned, revealing the contrast between cream Bath sand-stone and knapped flints. Since consecration in 1843 there has been no major external restoration.

The four church clock faces have been refurbished by Smith's of Derby. The gleaming black and gold faces and a rebuilt mechanism will be installed in January, when the spire scaffolding is struck.

The dilapidated grey galvanised window grilles have been replaced with black, modern minimalist steel. The old shabby appearance of the building, looking as if it were shut, now will look open, vital and consistent with its bright, reordered and modern interior.

The external appearance should be one of sympathetic restoration. Water penetration to the internal fabric will have been stopped. The Church fabric should now be protected, for the next 100 years, as its position as a building of important iconic status in the Chiswick landscape.

The Church would like to use Chiswick W4 to thank the local community for its support. The project was estimated to cost £283,000 and has been achieved to budget and almost to time. "Universal stone" have proved to be experienced and efficient contractors. The Church has raised the necessary funds: the Garfield Weston Charitable Organisation contributed £15,000 and the project has received £10,000 funding from Viridor Credits Environmental Company, through the Landfill Communities Fund. Christ Church has received contributions from local commercial organisations including £1000 from Fullers. Money has been raised from a variety of sources including sponsored (very) long distance walks; a parish leaflet drop; a quiz night, an art exhibition and substantial contributions from the congregations. The Haus estate agents have been wonderful sponsors.

Anybody who would still like to contribute will find details of the Stonework Project on the the Christ Church website www.cctg.co.uk or alternatively in the Church itself.

As well as helping OXJAM through allowing them to use the scaffolding to advertise their excellent work, Christchurch has raised £30,000 to contribute to five wonderful building projects in Kenya, Malawi, India, Guatemala and Nepal and to the Philippines crisis appeal as part of its outreach and to balance and to partner the expenditure on the Church Stonework Project.

The Christ Church family hopes that the external refurbishment will enhance the revitalised appearance of Turnham Green and demonstrate its outreach to the community and will emphasise that it is an amenity for anyone.

Please do come and visit and inspect the results of the Stonework Project. We are very much open for business.

There will be a thanksgiving service for the completion of the Christ Church external restoration on 26 January 2014 at 4:30pm: all are welcome, champagne cocktails will be served afterwards.

Rev Richard Moy

January 20, 2014