Redevelopment
The latest news and progress on our redevelopment
Complete and ready for service
We are delighted to announce that the redevelopment of the former St Columba’s is now complete; and our contractors, Coulson’s have departed. Last Friday, our minister Revd Nigel Uden formally received the key to the building and said a few words.
The occasion was recorded on video by our architects, Archangel, and can be viewed on their Facebook page here
https://www.facebook.com/archangelarchitects/videos/241183004464107
– you do not need a Facebook account to watch the video.
We hope to hold our first service at 10.30am on Sunday 16 May as a ‘dry run’, with a small number of worshippers present. We hope this will also be live-streamed – we will give details of this nearer the time.
If Government guidelines permit, we plan to hold the first of our Lunchtime Concerts on Wednesday 19th May at 1pm.
Continuing Covid-19 restrictions mean that numbers attending all events will be strictly limited and booking will be essential.
Here are some images taken over the past few days of the building as we continue to unpack and settle in.
Nigel receives the key
The Sanctuary ready for worship
Our piano has returned
Beautiful flooring shines in the light
Wednesday 14 April 2021
Beautiful lettering is now in place above the new Welcome entrance, due for completion soon.
The extensive glass frontage of the Welcome entrance opens the building up and offers views of the interior to passers-by; and also offers a ramp entrance for maximum accessibility.
Thursday 1 April 2021
Our contractors take us on a tour around the almost-completed building as the redevelopment of Downing Place approaches completion.
It is 2 years almost exactly since the congregation left the building to allow work to start after Easter Sunday 2018; and after some unavoidable delays, work began in September 2018. Our anticipation is mounting as much of the building is now complete; and we look forward to seeing our beautiful Sanctuary in its full glory before too long.
Wednesday 10 March 2021
Downing Place is in the press this week, with an article about the latest Time Capsule to be buried as the project nears completion.
See March’s Place Matters to read more about the three Time Capsules.
Click the photo on the right to enlarge it.
While on site, David Thomas took some photographs of the almost-completed building, which you can view below.
Please click on each image to enlarge it.
Wednesday 16 February 2021
We are now in the final month of redevelopment; with most of the building scheduled to be handed over to us on Friday 5 March.
Stuart Humphrey, Site Surveyor from Coulsons, takes us on a tour of the latest developments, as new windows flood the building with light and connect us to the outside world.
Monday 11 January 2021
Beautiful images of our redeveloped and reordered church created by our architects, Archangel.
Click each image to make it bigger.
The main Church Sanctuary looking north-west towards Downing Street and the Emmanuel Room
The main Church Sanctuary looking south-east towards the dais
The main Church Sanctuary looking south towards Downing Place.
The Welcome Area looking towards Downing Place
The Chapel
The Emmanuel Room
The Emmanuel Room showing sink/kitchenette area and door to toilet facilities
The Kitchen
The Gibson Hall looking towards the kitchen
The Gibson Hall looking to the back of the building with garden access and view to the right.
Ground Floor Meeting Rooms 1 & 2 showing folded partitions
Ground Floor Meeting Room 1
The Hub area looking towards the entrance.
The Hub area looking towards the servery
The Hub area from the entrance
The Hub area showing comfortable seating
The Hub area looking towards the entrance.
The Hub area looking towards the servery
The Hub area from the entrance
The Hub area showing comfortable seating
First Floor Meeting Rooms Corridor
First Floor Meeting Room 6
First Floor Meeting Room 5
First Floor Meeting Room 3
16 December 2020
The latest on our redevelopment as 2020 draws to an end
Watch the latest walk-through showing how our redeveloped building is taking shape. Our grateful thanks as ever to architect Jack Boyns from Archangel for bringing us these regular updates.
Pictures from a site visit on Friday 27 November 2020
External view in Downing Street, showing the two new windows with stonework almost completed and the much improved effect of the new Sanctuary lights from outside
The painting of upper levels of the Sanctuary is completed
This shows the painting of upper levels of the Sanctuary is completed and also shows the excellent secondary glazing of the windows
The new entrance on Downing Place onto the “Welcome Area” with construction well advanced
Equipment being installed in the Sanctuary boiler room
Inspecting the Emmanuel Room and the new Downing Street windows
Inspecting the Minister’s Room
The kitchen area in the caretaker’s flat
The Mezzanine floor in the Hub
The Mezzanine floor in the Hub
Viewing the Hub
Therapy Centre rooms
Therapy Centre rooms
Hub ground floor, offices and meeting room(s)
20 November 2020
New video shows breakthrough as work commences on the external walls
Our contractors are making the most of the lack of shoppers and night time revellers during second lockdown, and the exterior wall facing Downing Street is receiving some beautiful stonework and new additional windows which will flood the interior with light.
The new accessible entrance onto Downing Place is also under construction.
Elsewhere, the courtyard garden is taking shape, and the caretaker’s flat is looking good!
9 November 2020
Latest Site Tour with architect Jack Boyns
The redevelopment project continues to make excellent progress, and has now breached the walls to form the new Downing Place entrance. Our thanks to Jack Boyns of Archangel for taking us through the latest developments.
12 October 2020
Topping Out Ceremony
Our minister, Revd Nigel Uden, takes to the rooftops as the finishing touches are put to the work on the roof.
He offered this prayer on behalf of the Church:
Eternal God,
your Son Jesus Christ is the Church’s keystone,
crowning it with hope,
holding it in place with grace,
ensuring its stability with truth.
As we mark the topping out of this project,
we praise you for all those who, with myriad skills,
are renewing Downing Place Church
for the glory of your name
and in service to your mission.
Looking down on the sanctuary,
where we preach Christ crucified and risen,
we hear you calling us to come to you in faith;
looking out over the city,
where beauty and need walk side by side,
we hear you calling us to go to it with love.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
we pray your blessing upon what is being done,
until you bring it and all things to completion,
at the day of Jesus Christ,
Amen
23 September 2020
Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry (CFCI)
A broader look at the redevelopment project, which combines the 3D walkabouts we’ve been seeing with before-and-after images of the building, and fascinating detail about how the project has been taking form.
16 September 2020
The latest progress report from the Downing Place site
We’re very grateful to Jack Boyns of Archangel Architects for taking the time to walk us round the latest developments at the Downing Place site. Our Gibson Hall is looking marvellous and the Hub is really taking shape!
5th August 2020
A New Walkaround
Work is progressing briskly on site, and you can see how everything is starting to fall into place in this short video created by our contractors.
‘The NightLite Area’ referred to in the video refers to a room which is being created at the Downing Street end of the building, which will be known as the Emmanuel Room. As well as providing the perfect space for NightLite to operate from, it will become the home for many ‘Anonymous’ groups who have a long history of meeting on the site.
Thank you to Stuart Humphrey of Coulsons for his kind permission to reproduce the video here.
26th June 2020
Downing Place
We are delighted to say that redevelopment work started up again at Downing Place a couple of weeks ago, after 8 weeks of lockdown. Arch.angel partner Jack Boyns was around to take us on a brief walk around the site to review progress and take the following short video:
It’s great to have Downing Place United Reformed Church back on site with Coulson. New Covid-19 procedures have been put in place to ensure safe working including lots of new signage, a new protocol for signing in, hand sanitiser stations and various measures such as one way systems and phased working to ensure social distancing. All subcontractors have also updated their risk assessments to account for Covid-19 procedures.
Construction is progressing well. The steel frame for the sliding glazed doors is installed. The baptistry pit has been excavated. Timber work has gone in to install the first floor in the hub area. The new roof lights in Gibson Hall have had a big impact on the feeling of light and height in the space. The roof to the caretakers flat has begun to be fitted. The finished slating and roof lights on Gibson Hall look fantastic.
Thank you to Coulsons for the photographs from our regular virtual site progress updates.
11th February 2020
Downing Place
Members of Downing Place visit their building to survey progress so far
4th February 2020
Downing Place
Site visit
6th January 2020
Downing Place
Site visit
Photos by Robert Porrer
19th December 2019
Downing Place
Site tour with Jack Boyns of Archangel Architects
26th November 2019
Downing Place
Site visit
Photos by Margaret Reynolds
Sanctuary – former organ loft & insulation (5″/125 and 2″/50) stacked ready for Gibson Hall roof
Sanctuary – opening up new doors from Welcome Entrance
25th November 2019
Downing Place
Site visit
TV Interview with Revd Nigel Uden
29th October 2019
Downing Place
Site visit
Photos by Robert Porrer
Sanctuary – opening up for new windows onto Downing Street
New Hub – looking into St Columba’s Hall
Former toilets, with rooms above
Temporary scaffolding roof over St Columba’s Hall
Courtyard Garden – conservatory demolished and temporary scaffolding roof over St Columba’s Hall
Looking into Gibson Hall (kitchen and balcony demolished)
9th October 2019
Downing Place
Site visit
Photos by Robert Porrer
25th September 2019
Downing Place
Site visit
Photos by Robert Porrer
Sanctuary – wood block floor removed
Sanctuary – wooden screens disassembled and kitchen/rest room built for workers
Courtyard – conservatory already removed
Gibson Hall – panelling and balcony removed (wall between hall and kitchen will be removed to enlarge the hall)
St. Columba’s Hall
Kitchen – nearly cleared
September 2019
Downing Place
Site visit
Redevelopment work begins
Photos by Elaine Barker
September 2019
Downing Place
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Downing Street,
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Downing Place URC
Downing Place is a community of people who seek to take God seriously through worship, study and service that are responses to the living, dying and rising of Jesus Christ and rooted in his teaching.
