St Mark's Methodist Church

  

Gloucester Road, Cheltenham GL51 8PX

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St Mark's > St Mark's 2000 > Phase One

St Mark's 2000

Introduction | Phase One | Phase Two

Phase One

The building work has been split into two phases: the first phase, which is now complete, covered the church, vestibule, and forecourt, while the second phase will include the changes to the rear premises, including reinstalling the organ. The last service prior to the building work was held in the church on Sunday 19th June 2005; a service of rededication was held in the refurbished church on Saturday 4th March 2006.

The thumbnails below are links to larger versions of the pictures.

The church as it was
The front entrance The worship area The sanctuary The back of the church The pulpit and organ The vestibule
The last service
The last service The last service

On 20th June 2005 the church was cleared in preparation for the builders. This included taking out the organ to put it in storage, and removing the pews and the floor.

Clearing the church
The vestibule Taking out the vestibule window Dismantling the organ The window behind the organ revealed Removing the floor

When the builders moved in, their first job was to break up the old floor, and lay the new one.

Work on the floor
Breaking up the floor The layer of sand Reinforcing for the concrete Pouring the concrete Pouring the concrete

In the vestibule a new wall has been built to create a small room which will be used to arrange flowers.

The new wall for the flower room
Building the wall The new wall The flower room Plastering the new wall The new wall

Several windows were removed from their stone surrounds for refurbishing.

Windows removed
External window glass removed Vestibule window glass removed

The stonework outside and inside the church was thoroughly cleaned.

Cleaning the stonework
The front of the church Cleaning the front of the church Cleaning the outside windows Cleaning the internal stonework

An opening was made in the wall to allow access to the future organ loft. This was then bricked up again until the time when the organ will be reinstalled.

The organ opening
Outline of organ opening The opening bricked up

The old ceiling had to be removed and replaced.

Work on the ceiling
Removing the ceiling The rafters revealed The rafters revealed Installing the new ceiling Painting the new ceiling The new blind

Four new sets of doors were installed: one where the old sanctuary area was, and three in the vestibule area.

New doors
The old apse The new partition Bringing in a door frame Door to old apse Door to vestibule

Extensive rewiring has been necessary. This is a small sample of the work.

Electrical work
Electrical work

A platform has been constructed for the new sanctuary area. There are three "drawers" built into the platform, which can be pulled out to extend the raised area if required.

The sanctuary area platform
Platform structure Platform structure Aerial view of platform Laying the carpet

The forecourt has been relaid, and there is now a slope down from the front doors, so that a doorstep isn't necessary.

The forecourt
Laying the forecourt

A lot of work went into getting everything finished and ready for the re-opening of the church

Final preparations
The new chairs arriving Putting the chairs out The new curtain The new cross

On Saturday 4th March 2006 the refurbished church was re-opened, and a rededication service was held.

The service of rededication
Service of rededication Service of rededication
The refurbished church
The sanctuary The refurbished church The refurbished church
The sanctuary The sanctuary The new cross The new ceiling and fans The Methodist cross in the window The family room The family room window
The front doors The forecourt The front of the church

Last updated: 4th September, 2008
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