New Bishopdale Church

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31781, 11 September 1968, Page 8

New Bishopdale Church

An open sanctuary at the side of the church and a gallery floor at each end of the building will be unusual features of a new $12,000 A frame church to be built in Cotswold Avenue, for the Anglican parish of BishopdaleHarewood. It is hoped that building will begin early next year. The church, which will seat about 125 persons, will serve until a permanent church is built, probably in about 10 years. The new building will then be used as a hall.

The vicar of BishopdaleHarewood (the Rev. R. B. Allen) said that the main feature of the church would be a sanctuary situated at the side of the building instead of at the end It would be raised slightly and would be sur-

rounded on three sides by the congregation. There would be no communion rails as was usual in most Anglican churches.

“This gives the concept of a Christian family combining in one act of worship rather than creating a barrier where the minister is more or less fenced off,” he said. Two gallery floors with a total area of 400 sq. ft will be included, one at each end of the church. They will be used for Sunday school classes and small meetings. At each end of the building there will also be an entrance and inside each doorway there will be a stairway. Off the main hall which will have an area of 2000 sq. ft. there will be two small rooms which will be used by the clergy and vestry. Mr Allen said that more seating in the main area of worship could be included if the need arose.

Windows of coloured glass will be inserted near the floor of either side of the entrances, and windows or ordinary glass will provide lighting for the galleries. The entrance doors will also be of glass panels. The roof, which will extend to the ground, will have a stained timber frame, covered with tiles. A free-stand-ing metal cross will be erected above the entrance. Mr Allen said that in addition to the cost of the building, about $2OOO would be

needed to provide furnishings. This would depend, however, if pews were made or ff lighter chairs were used. Since the beginning of the year services and meetings for the parish have been held in the Isleworth School hall. There were now about 650 families in the parish, said Mr Allen. The architect for the new church is Mr D. E. Donnithorne and the consulting engineers are Messrs Powell Fenwick and Partners. The drawing by the architect shows the new church as it will look when completed.