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Architects: John Puttick Associates
- Area: 770 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Gareth Gardner
Text description provided by the architects. John Puttick Associates has completed the transformative refurbishment of St Leonard's Church in Hove, delivering an adaptable community resource marked by a striking new timber porch. The glulam-pitched roofed extension symbolizes a distinct, open welcome to the congregation and wider local community. Located on New Church Road in Hove, the Grade-II listed Anglican church was originally built in the 13th century, and the existing Victorian building features a textural facade of knapped flint across its double-nave form.
St Leonard's remained in operation with a dedicated yet dwindling congregation despite not having a resident vicar for four years, but faced closure in 2016. In contrast, the busy and bustling St Peter's Church in nearby Brighton with its large, youthful congregation was outgrowing the available facilities. A vision to reimagine St Leonard's as a versatile community asset led to a partnership between the church council, the Diocese of Chichester, and St Peter's. This partnership saw 30 of St Peter's community members join Vicar Ali Marshall in working alongside the smaller existing traditional congregation to revitalize St Leonard's. John Puttick Associates won an invited competition to realize the community's vision in 2020, and funding for the construction was secured from the Church of England in 2021.
The brief sought an adaptable and functional community space suited to a family-oriented, contemporary congregation. Key requirements included the need for a heating system and audiovisual integration to support the lively, musical weekend services, while still respecting the historic character and fabric of the listed building. A smaller, more traditional worship space was also needed. John Puttick Associates has reimagined entry to the church as a gesture of welcome to all in the local neighborhood. The architects have relocated the entrance from the south elevation where a gated porch was often perceived to be closed, to the west, a more traditional location for the church entrance that unlocked the interior arrangement. The new entrance takes the form of a 4.5-metre tall glulam porch topped by a standing seam zinc roof. The new entrance features two sets of timber slatted doors that open towards the street and rear of the site, enhancing a sense of permeability and inviting the community in. The interiors are renewed with a versatile floor plan designed for multi-use. St Leonard's features two distinct naves; one smaller wing to the south adjacent to the larger northern nave, delineated by original stone arches. John Puttick Associates integrated glass doors within the archways to offer flexible settings depending on the community's needs. The main nave is dedicated to contemporary family services and live music, meanwhile, the traditional nave retains the original encaustic tiled floor, honoring the church's heritage.
John Puttick Associates has advocated for the decarbonization of the church where possible, opting for a new air source heat pump to warm St Leonard's throughout the cooler months. A new underfloor heating system is installed on top of the existing original parquet floor throughout the church so as not to disturb the historic material. The system is covered to step the floor level up by 15 centimeters, whilst new ramps at both the new porch and supporting south entrance overcome level access issues. St Leonard's appeal is extended beyond solely church-goers with the addition of a café in the smaller nave. The counter is crafted from repurposed choir stalls and the continuation of original herringbone patterns found in the church's tiling in the new joinery reflects a wider commitment to continuing St Leonard's historic character. Herringbone timber cladding covers the new dividing screens, and a new toilet pod and is evident in the herringbone oak slats of the timber porch.
In addition to interior works, external landscaping improvements include the renewal of pathways, a new outdoor seating space, and the installation of new outdoor path lights for better accessibility and visibility. Festoon lights alongside the new porch brighten the neighborhood so effectively that St Leonard's Church is now colloquially known as the "bright and light church". John Puttick Associates' thoughtful and sensitive approach marks the most substantial intervention at the site for many years. The new enhancements revitalize St Leonard's Church for its shifting congregation, duly considered for the needs of a 21st-century demographic. These ecclesiastical improvements, rooted in context, ensure the church remains a vibrant heart of the local community.
John Puttick, Director at John Puttick Associates, said:'It has been a pleasure working with St Leonard's Church to adapt their ecclesiastical building to meet contemporary needs. This has involved designing for both worship and community activities, and we hope the refurbishment will give renewed life to the building for many years to come.' Martin Aberson, Senior Architect at John Puttick Associates, said:'The added flexibility to the church, and the dedicated work of Vicar Ali Marshall and his team has ensured that the building will be holistically used, for both worship and community growth, for many years to come. The new timber porch encapsulates the welcoming nature of the church with the slatted oak gates opening wide to receive all.' Ali Marshall, Associate Vicar at St Leonard's Hove Church, client, said: 'Working with John and Martin at John Puttick Associates has been so fantastic from start to finish. It's been incredible to see the process through from concept to reality and how well it has translated throughout the refurbishment process. It looks stunning but also really works practically for our now bustling church and community events. Reactions from both people who knew the church before and also those coming in for the first time are of wonder and appreciation of the best of old and new elements of the building looking great together. The new porch is a wonderful new feature welcoming in the community new and old and providing a real external wow factor for the building as well.''
