St Thomas the Apostle, Elson

Application to create level Nave for flexible worship and provision of Infrared heating,

Feb 2009

(slideshow to support faculty application)

Statement of Need

• Reordering has begun to significantly to transform St Thomas the Apostle, Elson

• Narthex (2005) and Pew Removal (2007) has made a major difference

• This faculty application seeks to continue that work

The need for floor levelling• Worn-out pew removal has left

a trip-hazard raised platform• Some areas unsightly• No facilities for cabling or

electrics• 4 foot void below with no

insulation means inefficient heating

Process of Floor Levelling

• Floor is mounted upon brick course

• Single brick layer removed and existing historical timbers reused

• Same technique as employed on South Door (1991) and Narthex (2005)

Insulation under floor

• As floor sections are lowered we propose to insert joist-mounted Celotex insulation over the void

Retrospective Faculty for October 2008 Electrical

Inspection1. Securing Power Sockets to walls or floors

– When the pews were removed under the previous faculty, and the heaters temporarily resited, three power sockets were not able to be fixed to the wall due to short cabling. These were loose. They have now been fixed to the walls with extended cabling. Further sockets requested under this faculty are detailed below.

2. Provision of a Maintained Fire Exit light at the West Door– For both Fire and Personal Safety, a 8w maintained exit light has been sited over the West

Door. Interestingly, we note that this was detailed in the plans for the Narthex construction but not enacted until now. A maintained light makes safe exit of the Church in the dark much easier.

3. Provision of an Electrical Spur to the AV Desk, and removing some extension cabling to that position.

– The Audiovisual Desk is sited at the North West end of the Church. This is at some distance from the nearest power socket and had been serviced by an extension reel. It was felt that demand on this reel was too high, and that a proper power spur was safer. Two double sockets have been laid to this end, dramatically reducing load, but a further four sockets are needed in this position in addition to others requested elsewhere in this document.

4. Resiting of heater and data cabling underneath the chancel boarding temporarily to reduce trip hazards

– The Inspection regarded the legacy heater cables running through the boards in the chancel to be highly unacceptable, and these were resited underneath the chancel boards. This gave the opportunity to run the power and data cables which were loose across the stone portion of the chancel to the altar to be also resited temporarily under the boards. Appendix B, below shows how we wish to make this temporary fix permanent with the provision of a drop-box sited below the altar

In order to achieve a “deferred satisfactory” the following work was undertaken

Access and Conduit for Cables and Additional

Power

Remove old heating cabling and replace with recessed conduit around inside of Nave, allowing safe and secure cabling with future flexibility for sound and power changes.

Removes unsightly cable runs and reduces trip hazards

Access and Conduit for Cables and Additional

Power

Power required in these positions

Access and Conduit for Cables and Additional Power

position of recesseddropbox with power, XLR (microphone)VGA and compositeconnections

(example only)

The need for an effective Heating and Insulation

solution• Full faculty application shows heatloss

calculations• DAC suggested underfloor heating

inadequate in this environment• Other options discounted as too

expensive or inefficient to implement• Effective solution might be infrared• PCC not keen on wall-mounted bars as

they are felt to be unsightly

Infrared Mounted on Chandeliers

• Installed in St. Michael’s, Beccles in Diocese of St.Edmundsbury & Ipswich

• Attractive design, masks the bars

• Delivers heat (and light) to centre of church

• Fuel and heat efficient as it heats the people not the air.

Infrared Mounted on Chandeliers

• Supplied by Heat Infrared of Keyworth, Nottinghamshire

• Suspended on Nave struts

• A return to a feature of the past

Chandeliers in use at St. Thomas the Apostle, Elson

Photographs from around 1925Compared to our proposal:

Hung from chain at approximately 3.5m from floorThree phrase electric supply already in situ

Carpet Covering

• Some boards cannot be rescued during floor levelling and will have to be replaced.

• Contiguous Carpet Tiling to cover whole Nave to hide discrepancy

• Tiles to be employed because of heavy use of candles and incense (past experience)

• Replace existing tiles as well to ensure continuity

Chancel Stonework

• Boards not matching and unsightly

• Propose to replace with interim matching, stained boards

Chancel Stonework

• Seek to source Portland stone flagging to match the rest of the sanctuary under advice of architect (Simon Bean), which will take 4 years to fund and enact

Cost Plan

• “Sweat Equity”– ownership of process by committed

and skilled individuals

• Budgets– Floor Levelling £4000– Electricals £3000– Infrared Heating £12000

Looking ahead: the vision after this application

• Font– we seek DAC guidance on a creative

and innovative permanent font– funding available– vision of flowing water yet with

stillness in the style of William Pye

font position

Looking ahead: the vision after this application

• Internal redecoration• Restoration or facsimile of the

original metalplate arch artwork (DAC advice sought on this)

Looking ahead: the vision after this application

• Church Hall needs to be sold• High quality Community provision

to be reprovided within curtilidge of the church

• Kairos Buildings Project

Faculty Application

• We therefore seek to obtain a faculties for the following work:– Levelling of the Nave floor to the level of the aisle– Retrospective Faculty for the October 2008 Electrical

Inspection Work and the provision of additional power, cable conduit and access below the floor

– Provision of infrared chandelier heating and underfloor insulation

– Carpet tiling to Nave – Replacement of boards in the Chancel and the longer-

term (4 year) provision of matching stone flooring.

Duration of Work

• We seek 2 years for the completion of this work

• The heating needs to be in position before next winter

• We seek 4 years to source and deliver the stonework in the Chancel

Summary

• This application has been some time in development

• The parish are very keen to continue the good work they have begun

• The finance is in place for this as is the skillset

• The time is right to petition for faculty.

Thank you for reviewing this application

Revd. Simon Rundell& the PCC of St. Thomas the

Apostle, Elson, Gosport