December 22, 2021
Last Updated on June 20, 2022
Work on the Grade 1 listed All Saints church in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, has been completed after a reordering overseen by Whitworth.
The church was originally built in the mid-fourteenth century, replacing an earlier thatched church that was destroyed by fire. The first church on the site is believed to have been built around 1070, back when the village was known as ‘Stantona’.
All Saints Church in Longstanton now offers much better community access and facilities over two floors following the project that was designed to provide additional support for its continued use as a place of worship. The works were also designed to improve the facilities used by the parishioners and villagers who use the church as a community space.
The reordering project involved creating a new independent community meeting room, toilet facilities, a kitchen, a new mezzanine and a bell-ringing chamber. The new facilities are fully bespoke and designed in sympathy with the original features of the church.
The historic fabric of the building has been carefully preserved, but modern features have been added to enhance usability and access to the building.
The project has received strong community support, with local residents helping to fundraise much of the cost for the reordering work. The money needed for the extensive project was also raised with grant funding and the sale of some church assets.
The Architects at Whitworth helped realise the vision that brought the project to life, and helped bring the historic church in Cambridgeshire into the 21st Century, with many modern facilities.
On the 3rd of December 2021 the PCC in Longstanton formally took back possession of the Grade 1 listed building. As with all work on historic buildings, this project has been fascinating, challenging and rewarding.
The modernisation of All Saints church brings the PCC closer to their vision of ‘bringing the church closer to the community, and the community closer to the church’. The project was initially launched in 2006, and has been developed over several key phases. Now complete, some 15 years later the PCC is confident that the church will meet the varying needs of the Longstanton community for many years to come.
Find out more about the project on ‘The Friends of All Saints Church Longstanton’ website.
