Bradbury Hall
A new church hall in a sensitive suburban setting
Our client said….
It has been great working with you over the last 10 years ... and the buildings, Bradbury hall etc, have become a real asset to the church and local community.
The Story
The United Reformed Church in Henleaze, Bristol, is a thriving church set in the heart of the local community. The church, built in 1907, designed by Frank Wills, provided an excellent setting for services and concerts, but the adjacent hall (photo below) was very much a poor relation.
In 2004 the congregation of URC Cranbrook Road merged with that of URC Henleaze, creating an opportunity to develop a new community facility in Henleaze. The church named their ambitious project Henleaze@Heart and, after a small competition appointed O’LearyGoss as their architects.
We assisted the Minister in consulting Church and community members locally throughout the briefing and design process and submitted an application for planning permission in 2006. Full planning was granted in early 2007. After a short hiatus for URC to confirm their funding, we developed a full construction package for competitive tender. Work started on site in 2009.
The hall is like an up-turned boat with a zinc roof and high level rooflights, all supported on a curved glulam structure. Timber is used extensively throughout the building, internally and externally.
As well as a large community hall, the finished building which provides meeting rooms and an informal cafe space that can be used on their own or with the church or hall in a number of flexible configurations.
The integrated heating, lighting and security controls, together with the careful selection of materials, have allowed the building to have a long and low maintenance life at the heart of the Henleaze community.
The front section of the new building is of a smaller more intimate scale with low eaves and a traditional steeply pitched roof of clay tiles, to match the adjacent Church.
The project was completed in June 2010 and received a Bristol Civic Society award in 2011. The church complex continues to be a successful and popular community resource in Henleaze.
O’LearyGoss continue to work with the United Reformed Church in Henleaze, currently looking at key areas within the main church.
Project Team:
Client: URC Henleaze with South Western Synod of the United Reformed Church
Consulting structural & civil engineers: Structures 1
Consulting services engineers: Watermans
Cost consultant: Mildred Howells
Contractor: Chamberlain Building Contractors