St John's United Reformed Church extension

St John’s United Reformed church was built in 1969 and received a Civic Trust Award the following year. Unusually, it was constructed on the retained lower walls of the original St Augustine’s Presbyterian Church. The design, influenced by contemporary Scandinavian architecture, was based on the concept of a Bedouin tent, resulting in few vertical or perpendicular walls. Due to the steeply sloping site, the ground and lower ground floors can both be accessed off street level.

The architect, Jon Finlayson, was a member of the congregation and only in his late twenties when he took on this, his first major commission. Now in his eighties, Jon was consulted throughout the design process.

The extension emanated from the need to provide tea making facilities and an accessible toilet off the main worship space. These were originally provided at the lower level and the protracted external access for the less-abled was neither independent, convenient nor particularly practical. The increased facilities now support wider community use of this principal space, which was previously under utilised. The late addition of a dedicated AV hub represents a further improvement.

The site topology allows the extension to be cantilevered out over the car parking which is not restricted as a result. Clad in matching reclaimed natural slate, its form is expressed as ‘peeling away’ from the existing mass.

As a cantilever, the extension was constructed using a lightweight timber frame similar to the existing, supported by galvanised steel brackets which are left exposed.

The internal layout allows the entrance to the WC to be slightly recessed to prevent direct sightlines from the main worship space. The tea preparation area can be concealed behind full height and width curtains which were part of the original design.