Cirencester Baptist Church officially open their doors

The £3.8 million complex was designed and built by E G Carter & Co Ltd in collaboration with Roberts Limbrick Architects. The project required the construction of a new Baptist Church following demolition of an existing building.

The new building incorporates a large worship space suitable for congregations of up to 500 people with access to a commercial kitchen and café area. A second worship space was built to host multi-function events including smaller services, meetings, community band groups and youth groups. A back hall was formed as an additional multi-purpose space for use during Sunday School groups and during the week by youth groups. Ten further smaller spaces cater for Sunday School activities and general purposes such as writing, painting and dance.

The building itself has a modern feel with a range of grey panels on the side of the Church and enhanced with large glass windows throughout, encompassing the brief which was to make the best use of natural light.

Thomas Jones, Construction Manager at E G Carter & Co Ltd, said “This project was a great one from start to finish, all of the teams worked simultaneously with one another to design and build not only a Church but a hub for the whole community”

The Church purchased the site, formerly the home of the Chesterton Suite building, at an auction from Cotswold District Council in September 2014 after raising funds from donations by the congregation, as well as grants, including one from the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust.

Matt Frost, Senior Pastor, held the first Sunday service at the new Church on January 2^nd 2017 and said “The old one had a nostalgia to it, that will be missed, but it’s a bit like moving from an old house to a new one – there’s a lot of excitement. From a practical side of things, this is bigger and better and will allow us to deliver so much more in terms of services, and space for the different groups that will use it.”