Re-Ordering
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St Matthew's aims to be an Acts 2 Church, valuing Awe, Unity, Generosity, Hospitality and Growth.
St Matthew's Church Walsall
Re-ordering Project 2010
Submission Document
Architects: Messrs Arroll & Snell Ltd,
Contact: Church Office 626039
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CONTENTS
Statement of Significance pages 3 -6
Part 1 - St Matthew's in its urban environment page 3
Select Bibliography page 4
photograph of Church interior looking East page 4
showing cast iron pillars, 14th century chancel,
ceiling, shoddy seating
Ground Plan (awaited) page 5
Part II - The significance of the area affected page 5
by the proposal
Statement of Need pages 6-15
Section A - General Information page 6
Section B - The Need page 11
Section C – Difficulties in meeting the Need page 12
Section D – The Proposal page 13
Section E – Support and Practicalities page 14
Section F – Significance and Impact page 15
St Matthew's Values page 16
Reordering Steering Group membership:-
The Reverend Colin Gibson, Rector;
Mr Graham Hird, Mr Steve Parker and Mrs Helen Robinson, Church Wardens;
Mr David Tonks, Church Warden emeritus;
Mrs Enid Price-Jones, Mrs Judith Ridgway, Mrs Debbie Smith-Hocknull
We are very grateful indeed to the Ven Chris Liley for his input into
the reordering process in helping us to articulate our vision and our
needs.
To be approved by St Matthew's District Church Council at the Annual General Meeting 24 April 2010
.
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Statement of Significance
Part I - St Matthew's in its urban environment
St Matthew's is the ancient parish church for the Borough of Walsall.
It has a dominating presence in the townscape, thanks to its hilltop
situation and splendid spire, and is visible from a distance of many
miles. It is by far the oldest building in Walsall with parts thought
to date from around 1150AD. It is therefore a highly significant
element in the Borough's built heritage. As such it appears on
Walsall's road signage and even on Council letterheads as a symbol of
the town. It also appears in many historic prints and images of Walsall.
St Matthew's has various strong links with the community. It is the
venue for the Civic Service held annually to celebrate the appointment
of each year's new mayor. It has three Parish schools, Blue Coat
Infants, Juniors and Comprehensive who all use the building regularly:
indeed the Comprehensive holds its assemblies here every Friday.
Several other schools use St Matthew's for Carol Services. Other
organisations such as Scouts, Guides, Rotary, Walsall Choral Society
and Walsall Hospice also make it their choice for concerts and special
events. Our seating capacity of over 1,000 when the balconies are in
use is a factor in this.
St Matthew's is a grade II* (two star) listed building and contains a
number of features of significance including the following:
a majestic spire dating from 15th century and restored 1669, 1779 and 1951
a set of thirteen bells, considered one of the finest in the region including four from 1553
an organ of very high quality (built by Samuel Green in 1773)
a crypt of two chambers, thought to date approximately from 1150, which formed the church of the day
a beautiful medieval chancel (dating from 1462) with a most unusual
arched passageway beneath which allows a thoroughfare to pass under the
sanctuary, comparable to that at St.Mary Redcliffe, Bristol (described
by Elizabeth I as "the fairest church in all the land!")
carved medieval misericords set into the choirstalls regarded as the finest church woodcarving in former Staffordshire
a font dating from 15th century carved in limestone with fine 18th
century marble rim and with the coats of arms of noble families of the
region including the Earls of Warwick
extensive use of cast iron pillars, windows etc following renovations
in the early nineteenth century by leading church architect Francis
Goodwin when this was at the cutting edge of Industrial Revolution
technology
A spectacular ceiling richly decorated with plasterwork.
From all the above it will readily be apparent that St Matthew's has
enormous significance for Walsall historically, architecturally and
civically, with important roles in its community life and cultural
life, in addition to its raison d'etre as a place of worship.
However various factors have combined to undermine that significance.
Much housing close to the church has been pulled down. Planning
decisions have obstructed historic views of St Matthew's. Direct routes
to the church by road have been cut off. The centre of gravity of the
Borough has shifted away from Church Hill. Many parts of the building
now have a tatty and neglected appearance largely through a lack of
funds. The time has now come to restate the significance of St
Matthew's through a programme of much needed repairs and improvements.
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Select bibliography:
Brookes, T.H. The church of St. Matthew, Walsall Staffordshire Life 1954
Fink, D.P.J. Queen Mary’s Grammar School, 1954
Hope-Urwin, J. Walsall Parish Church 1935
Jeavons, S.A. Medieval Woodwork in South Staffs. Trans. B’ham Arch. Soc.
LXVII 49 , 1947-8
Mander, G. Walsall Churchwardens’ Accounts. Staffs Hist. Collections 1928
Norris, P.J. Parish Church of Walsall 1972?
Pevsner, N. Buildings of England: Staffordshire 1974
Victoria County History: Staffordshire Vol. XVII 1976
Vodden, D.F. The Parish Church of St. Matthew, Walsall 1980. 2nd edn 1995
Willmore, F.W. History of Walsall 1887
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Ground Plan
A digital survey of the Church and its environs has been commissioned.
This will form in due course form the basis of the ground plan to be
submitted with this document when it is finalised.
Part II: The significance of the area affected by the proposal
Detailed proposals are currently awaited from our architects, who have
been instructed to prepare proposals and drawings for our consideration.
However it is not anticipated that any of the features listed in Part 1
above will be adversely affected by the proposals. These are
particularly aimed at enhancing the building through repairs and the
replacement of substandard facilities, fittings and materials and not
at any radical restructuring.
There is likely to be short term disruption to the life of the church
particularly because of the replacement of the floor, but also possibly
arising from other repairs. The temporary closure of the church may
unfortunately be required. If so we will seek to be hold services in
the St Matthew's Centre or possibly in Blue Coat School.
We hope that landscaping of the hill top site as a whole may be
possible to make the most of this area as an asset to the community and
the Borough.
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Statement of Need
Section A: General Information
(Extracted and adapted from the Parish Profile 2009)
THE PARISH SETTING : (Please indicate : size of population, types of
housing, kinds of jobs people do, institutions (eg. hospitals, schools,
old people’s homes), social mix and any other salient factors. If a
team ministry or LEP, please give a general description of it.
Walsall is a post-industrial area with roots in a medieval market
town. St Matthew's is the ancient Parish Church for the Borough, dating
from approx 1150. New parishes were created during the industrial
revolution by taking bites out of ours, leaving us with a very odd
boundary. Our congregation tends to be drawn from across the Borough as
a whole.
The total population of Walsall is about 200,000 with substantial
numbers of Muslims, Sikhs, Afro-Caribbeans and asylum seekers in some
districts, including around St Matthew's.
Walsall contains significant areas of deprivation including sizeable
monochrome housing estates. St Matthew's own parish contains pockets of
affluence alongside less prosperous areas in a characteristically Black
Country cheek-by-jowl way.
Historically Walsall has been a centre of the leather industry,
particularly saddlery. This is in decline these days owing to
competition from the Far East but there are still many saddle makers in
the Borough.
We also used to have lots of small castings firms but many of these have been lost due to economic changes.
There are significant numbers in low-paid and casual jobs or unemployed.
Walsall Institutions: Walsall has its own Borough Council, 3 MPs, a
general hospital, an art gallery with a world-class collection of
Epsteins, library, swimming pool, a leather museum, a railway station
and bus station, an arboretum, many schools, and a first division
football club.
Parish Institutions: we have three parish schools, Blue Coat Infants,
Juniors and Performing Arts Comprehensive, several old people's /
residential homes where we carry on a pastoral ministry, the St
Matthew's Centre (refurbished 2006) whose use by various community
groups is rapidly expanding, the Walsall campus of the University of
Wolverhampton, Walsall cricket and rugby clubs and quite a few pubs.
Walsall Team: St Matthew's is currently part of a team including two
other churches, St Luke's and St Martin's. These were originally church
plants from St Matthew's run by curates under the direction of St
Matthew's vicar. In the 1980s the formation of the Team was intended to
grant St Martin's and St Luke's greater independence by giving them
their own clergy and quasi-parochial districts. The Team is now in
process of being broken up into separate parishes to enable full
independence and this should be effected by late 2010.
The Team Parish population is about 18,000 and St Matthew's district about 6,000.
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Please also star one of the broad following categories :
Urban (inner city) : Urban (estate) : City Centre *
Suburban : Commuter Village : Rural : Small Town
THE CHURCH
Ecclesiastical Tradition : broadly evangelical, charismatic by
aspiration more than practice. No robes at all-age services or Church
Hill Praise.
Pattern of Sunday Worship (please indicate times and rites used):
8am BCP Communion
10am Common Worship Communion plus Children's Church
OR All-age service (roughly one Sunday per month)
12 noon BCP communion, 1st and 3rd Sundays
3.45pm BCP Evensong, 2nd and 4th Sundays
4pm St Matthew's Asian Congregation (meets in St Matthew's Centre)
6.30pm Church Hill Praise - no set liturgy
In practice our services attract different people with their
contrasting styles and may feel like several churches that happen to
use the same building.
Weekday Services:
Wednesday 10am eucharist
Attendances:
8.00am 20-30, all adults
10am 90-100 of whom 5-15 are children
12.00 noon 8-12, all adults
3.45pm 15-20, all adults
Asian Cong 30-40 of whom over 50% are children and young people
6.30pm 60-80 of whom over half are young people.
Electoral Roll = 245
Occasional Offices: Number p.a. Baptisms 12
Weddings 12
Funerals 30
Daily Offices :
Morning Prayer Tuesdays and Thursdays, Prayer Hour Saturdays.
Staff or Team Members :
Pastor Fiaz leads the Asian Congregation as an NSM and is also a paid official of the Diocese as Diocesan Asian Minister.
We are currently without a curate but a new one is expected in summer 2010.
We also pay a part time administrator, a manager for the St Matthew's Centre and an organist.
At the time of writing we are advertising for a part-time Family and
Children's Minister to develop this key sector further with us.
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Lay involvement:
There are three lay readers and a prayer guide. Two of the lay readers are licensed to conduct funerals.
Lay people carry out much of St Matthew's pastoral ministry. They are
organised as a pastoral network. Some are licensed for ministry in
local residential homes.
Church Hill Praise is led by a lay couple.
Lay people are also involved in baptism and marriage preparation and Alpha Courses.
Some of our people engage in supporting volunteer teams in hospital
and with people with educational needs. Others are on management boards
for ministry to the homeless (the Glebe Centre), excluded kids (The
Vine) and teen pregnancy work.
House, Study or Prayer Groups :
We have 8 home groups.
Youth Work :
We have great opportunities here through connections with Blue Coat
School and with the Queen Mary Grammar Schools' Joint Christian Union.
Sadly we have no youth minister at present as we can no longer afford
one and I am concerned about the future development of this ministry.
Efforts to find alternatives (Pais Team, a trainee youth worker on
placement) have fallen through.
There is however a thriving lay-led 18-30 Cell Group, a very small
youth cell for 11-18s and lots of youth participation at Church Hill
Praise.
Areas of particular ministry (please star) :
Schools * Hospitals * Industry Prison Youth *
Old People’s Homes * Single Parents Homeless Healing *
Other (specify): Town Centre Ministry *
Of particular note here is our relationship with the three Blue Coat
Schools – Infants, Juniors and Comprehensive. All use the building
regularly and the Comp in particular do so every week. In addition to
services the schools hold other events in church.
Is congregation (please delete one): gathered
Areas of co-operation (e.g. with other Anglicans, Ecumenical).
Cluster - Walsall Central Cluster comprises the 3 Team Churches and
two other Anglican Churches, St Paul's and St John's. This group covers
mutual support for the clergy, pulpit swaps, joint confirmations and
courses of study which we run jointly.
Town Centre Ministry - This comprises 5 churches, ourselves, St
Paul's from the Cluster, and the Town Centre Methodist, United Reformed
and Roman Catholic Churches. Key areas are Lent lunches with guest
speakers, an open air carol service, the act of remembrance at the
Cenotaph and an absolutely brilliant procession of witness through the
Town Centre every Good Friday.
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Jesus Net - a grouping of free, Pentecostal and non-denominational
churches including leaders' days, prayer, and some events such as an
annual Party in the Park.
Any other activities or comments :
Please see our website www.stmatthewswalsall.co.uk
Is the church normally left open during daylight hours?
To a limited extent: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings.
What other community facilities are available in the local area?
We are situated very close to the Town Centre with a large number of
social, educational, administrative and recreational facilities of all
kinds.
Does the parish have a church hall or other buildings? Give details of size,
facilities, distance from church and state of repair.
Our former Parish Hall was refurbished as the St Matthew’s Centre in
2006 and comprises a substantial conference room on the upper floor, a
dedicated youth centre on the lower floor, a suite of offices, and
professional catering facilities. It is located about 100 metres from
St Matthew’s and, following refurbishment, is in a very good state of
repair
When was the last Quinquennial Inspection Report? Are there any major
outstanding issues that were highlighted in the QIR?
The last Quinquennial Inspection Report was received in February 2010.
There are many significant issues of repair highlighted in the report
which are going to be very costly to deal with. It is a key component
of the proposals to address them all, whilst carrying out certain
necessary works of improvement as part of the same integrated project.
Major issues include:
- specialist repairs to cast iron glazing
- expansion and contraction of the clerestory windows have caused
structural problems which will be extremely expensive to correct
- the sheer volume of work required: no less than 101 repairs and recommendations are listed
A copy of the Report can be made available on request
Explain briefly how the project will be financed. i.e. grants, existing funds,
bequest, fundraising.
We already have some money ringfenced for repairs and for the church
fabric. However this will only cover a modest percentage of the very
significant costs of the repairs in particular. We are investigating
the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and the Historic Churches
Preservation Trust among others. In particular we have enlisted the
support of Walsall Church Links, who have a very good track record of
fundraising for this type of project.
Have there been changes in the parish or community that are relevant to
how the needs of the parish have changed or which have prompted the
proposals now? i.e. a new vicar, introduction of music group, new
development in the village bringing new families, worsening situation
with church hall, a bequest to spend?
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This question does not really address what we are doing or why we are
doing it. We are not trying to respond to the local needs by adapting
the church building for use as a community centre: firstly St Matthew’s
is not really suitable for this and secondly we already have excellent
community facilities in our recently refurbished St Matthew’s Centre.
What we aim to do is to carry out some very necessary repairs and at
the same time make a number of improvements. The aim of the
improvements is to comply with the Disability Acts and to make the
building safer, more comfortable, more flexible, more environmentally
friendly with lower energy usage, and more welcoming.
In doing so we intend our church building to embody St Matthew’s values
which we have summarized in terms of aiming to be an Acts 2 Church;
that is, that we value awe, unity, generosity, hospitality and growth.
Please see the section about our values and how we believe they should
be reflected in the building on page 16.
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Section B: The Need
1. Repairs
All repairs identified in the most recent Quinquennial Inspection Report must be completed in full.
The Church should be put in good order to last the next 25 years.
2. Access
Health and Safety issues must be addressed, including the stairs to the balcony and the unsafe floor.
We must be fully compliant with current disability legislation including provision of toilets for the disabled.
Current raised flooring areas prevent access by wheelchair and pushchair users. The floor must be re-formed on one level.
3. Facilities
There is no need to duplicate facilities currently provided in abundance by our recently converted Centre.
Facilities for welcome and fellowship, including adequate provision for refreshments, must be introduced.
We want our ministry to families and children to grow and must make
sure our facilities are appropriate. The Children's Chapel / creche is
tired and needs a revamp.
Accessible toilets with baby-changing facilities are essential
4. Energy Usage etc
We have recently been forced to update the heating system by the
complete breakdown of previous system. However we should take the
opportunity afforded by the project to consider further refinements and
energy-saving options.
Improvements to lighting and ICT systems should also be considered in the scheme
5. Civic / Community Venue
Many parts of the Church look shabby and uncared for and work against the impression of a holy space and a place of welcome.
Attractive, comfortable and coordinated seating arrangements are essential.
Sight lines should be improved where possible.
The entrance area is chaotic and unwelcoming and needs revision.
A level floor is required to realise the potential for different seating layouts and liturgical variation.
6. Landscaping
The Church should be an integral and focal part of the landscape of
the whole of Church Hill, including the Memorial Garden, St Matthew's
Centre and lawned areas.
Views of the Church and connections with the Borough have been
compromised by poor planning decisions and poor maintenance of trees.
This must be addressed urgently if we are to fulfil our role as the
ancient Borough Church for Walsall.
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Section C: Difficulties in meeting the Need
1. Repairs
All will recognise that it is absolutely essential that the Church be kept in good repair.
2. Access
We have had a number of accidents resulting from the condition and
layout of the floor. The stair to the balcony is unsafe and
deteriorating and is used by hundreds of schoolchildren every week.
We do have separate ladies and gents toilets but no toilet suitable for disabled users and no baby changing facilities.
The present floor layout hinders access by wheelchair and pushchair users.
3. Facilities
The welcoming area of the church gives is visually muddled and lacks appropriate facilities.
The refreshments area is shabby and its furnishings are substandard.
The crèche area (Children’s Chapel) is also substandard.
Accessible toilets with baby-changing facilities are essential
4. Energy Usage etc
The building remained cold in the recent severe winter and people
stayed away as a result. We need to look at reducing heat loss and
spreading warmth more evenly.
Improvements to lighting and ICT systems should also be considered in the scheme
5. Civic / Community Venue
Plasterwork is crumbling in a number of places, some of them very visible to the congregation.
Our present seats are uncomfortable and of very poor quality.
In such a large church it is hard to follow what is going on visually, especially when children are involved.
The entrance area is not up to the standard expected of a good quality public venue.
The floor is divided into several sections by lowered aisles between
raised seating areas. This imposes a classroom style seating
arrangement which restricts the possibilities we could otherwise offer.
6. Landscaping
St Matthew’s is hindered in its role as Borough Church by a poor
quality surrounding landscape featuring undergrowth which encourages
crime and vandalism, poorly maintained trees which obscure important
views, crumbling boundary walls, badly surfaced roads and paths and
inadequate parking.
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Section D: The Proposal
A: Summary of proposals
Detailed proposals are awaited from our architects, Messrs Arroll and
Snell. In summary the architects have been asked to include the
following:
The completion of all major repairs listed in the Quinquennial Inspection Report.
The addressing of health and safety issues including the stair access to the balcony and the provision of a flat floor.
The revised floor will allow us better to accommodate liturgical
variations we want to explore further, particularly but not exclusively
at Church Hill Praise, including communion in the round, messy church
and cafe church, and also performing arts projects by Blue Coat schools
and other groups.
Compliance with the Disability Act including the revision of toilet
facilities and the provision of access throughout the lower floor of
the building
A warmer, more energy efficient and better lit building that costs less to run.
The replacement of substandard furnishings and fittings with
comfortable seating, a warm and friendly welcome area and a good
quality refreshment area.
B: The Process
These issues have been discussed and the above ideas formulated in a
series of consultations with the Church Council and Church members
chaired by the Venerable Chris Liley, Archdeacon of Lichfield. Groups
were formed to consider our needs in each of areas 1 to 5 in section B
(the statement of need). The Church Council has given full support to
this process. The congregation have also been informed and asked for
comments, and there will be further consultation with them and with the
public when the architects proposals are received.
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Section E. Support and practicalities
The project does not provide facilities for a large variety of
community groups etc since very full provision has been made for their
purposes at the St Matthew’s Centre nearby. It will not be necessary to
run the church as a business. We are very interested instead in
promoting St Matthew’s as the Borough Church with a key role in
Walsall’s civic and cultural life.
There are some users who already use the building regularly for civic and cultural occasions. These include:
Blue Coat Comprehensive School – assembly every Friday, prizegiving
and other special events, communion classes for different year groups
Blue Coat Infant and Junior Schools – services at least once a term
Blue Coat Sunday
Other schools – visits to the Church for Religious Education and
cultural projects several times a year and for Carol services: Queen
Mary’s Grammar School prizegiving service
Walsall Council – the Mayor’s civic service once a year
District Scouts – St George’s Day parade once a year
Walsall Hospice – Light up a Life service
Weddings – about 15 a year
Walsall Choral Society – several concerts a year
Walsall Rotary Club – concerts for charity.
Festival style events including theatre, gigs, heritage tours, exhibitions and the like.
We would like our church to be an impressive, attractive, comfortable and safe venue for all these users.
The project will have a major impact for good on the maintenance of the
building through the implementation of repairs. The proposals are not
intended to generate income on any large scale but will reduce costs
through greater energy efficiency.
A key practicality is the likelihood that St Matthew’s will have to
close during the works. Although some works could proceed with the
building open or at least partly open, others, such as replacing the
floor, will make this impossible. The organ will need to be sealed up
for the duration of all repairs to prevent damage by the ingress of
dust.
We will therefore need to be careful about the timing of the works. It
will not be possible to celebrate weddings and prospective couples will
need to be informed of this. Funerals will have to be accommodated in
nearby churches. Some Sunday services will take place in the St
Matthew’s Centre, larger ones may need to use Blue Coat School, and
existing Sunday users will have to be asked to make other arrangements.
A portable font will be needed for baptisms in these locations.
We have to be realistic that some church members may decide to leave
during these inconveniences. We will need to make a splash when we
reopen after the work to put ourselves back on the map.
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Section F: Significance and Impact
None of the proposals will affect the items listed in the Statement of
Significance (page 3) in any way other than to put them in good repair
and enhance their setting, which is at present badly let down by shoddy
furnishings, wear and tear, and a generally dilapidated appearance.
It is hoped that a comprehensive scheme of repairs will put the
building in good order for some time to come. At present we are
firefighting as problems arise simply because of the scale and cost of
the difficulties. We hope to get into an era in which maintenance can
be planned and budgeted for.
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St Matthew's Values
and how we want to reflect them in our building
St Matthew's aims to be an Acts 2 Church,
valuing Awe, Unity, Generosity, Hospitality and Growth.
Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done
by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in
common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the
proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time
together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food
with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of
all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who
were being saved.
(Acts chapter 2 verses 43-47, NRSV)
Awe: We are fortunate in possessing a building which carries with it a
powerful sense of awe through its commanding hill top location, lofty
and spacious interior, and air of venerable antiquity. We believe the
reordering should play to these strengths. However they are compromised
by a generally down at heel impression created by some poor quality
fixtures, by areas of peeling plaster, discoloured stonework, wear and
tear and other dilapidations, and by the gradual disappearance of the
building behind unmaintained trees. We want to address these issues as
a priority.
We include a number of different worship styles in the life of St
Matthew's, from very formal services following the Book of Common
Prayer through to Church Hill Praise which makes use of images, dance
and drama and band-led music. Our space needs to be flexible enough to
work with a variety of expressions of worship.
Unity: The Church is a place of fellowship as well as worship. As such
it needs to provide spaces for people to meet and mingle. Seating
should be comfortable and flexible enough to enable meeting in the
round. Lighting and heating systems should give an impression of warmth
and comfort.
Generosity: It will take a great deal of generosity to pay for this lot!
Hospitality: Here we are thinking particularly of how welcoming, or
otherwise, our building is for visitors and newcomers. Our entrance and
welcome area is chaotic and needs a rethink. Guests should be able to
discern our values and vision from clear, well set out notice boards.
Facilities need to be hygienic and pleasant to the standard that would
be expected in a prestigious secular venue. We are still not compliant
with the Disability Act and this makes the building positively
unwelcoming to people with certain needs. Children particularly should
have first class accommodation for their activities. Our cafe area as
it stands is an afterthought that makes use of poor quality
furnishings. An urgent upgrade is required.
Growth: Although buildings cannot create growth by themselves they can
help or hinder it by the structure they impose on human interactions,
the ambience they communicate, and the values they symbolise including
those of holiness and transcendence. We very much hope that, with a
suitable scheme, people will both be attracted to St Matthew's and will
find that, once here, they wish to stay.
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St Matthew's Calendar |
Featured Events
A full list of events may be found on the Church Calendar above.
April 2012
Thursday 5 April
10.00 am - 1.00 pm
St Matthew's Centre
An fun event for children aged 5-11 years to understand the events of Easter week.
Entry cost £2 per child.
Places limited. Contact Liz Burley to book and register your child
07725 981956
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