Ancient church saga finally conc-loo-des

Monday 03 December 2018

An 800-year-old parish church has finally completed its transformation into the ‘cistern chapel’, with a bishop’s blessing putting an end to a lengthy holy row.

Since 2016, heritage campaigners have tried to stop a toilet extension from being constructed at St. Lawrence Church.

While church officials argued it was vital to make the 12^th century building more disability-friendly, their opponents claimed that allowing such a development would irreparably damage “one of the island’s finest mediaeval buildings”.

The dispute rumbled on for two years, with a parish assembly eventually being called to make a decision on the matter.

Pictured: Hundreds of parishioners turned out to cast their vote on the extension in February.

A packed out room of parishioners eventually voted in its favour during a secret ballot, and work began.

But the controversy didn’t end there – a pre-build archeological dig by Société Jersiaise in March led to fresh claims from the anti-toilet lobby that construction should be halted. 

Despite difficulties along the way, the build, which also includes a wheelchair-friendly path and kitchenette, was finally completed last week and officially opened yesterday during the church’s morning service.

Pictured: The church before the extension was added.

The Lieutenant Governor, Air Chief Marshall Sir Stephen Dalton, cut the ribbon, while the Bishop of Dover, the Right Rev Sir Trevor Wilmott, blessed the church's extension. 

St. Lawrence Rector Reverend Phil Warren said he was sure that, upon seeing the extension, any concerns that it wasn’t sensitive to the surroundings would be flushed away. 

He told Express: “Looking at it from the outside, the quality of work is fantastic. The way that it blends in with the existing fabric of the church is superb. I’ve had already people in the past three to four weeks commenting as the boarding has come down, how stunning the outside looks. The window matches the window above it on the west-facing wall. We’re really pleased with the quality of work.”

Pictured: The archeological dig being carried out in March.

He added that the upgrade was important because it made the church, which dates back to the 1100s, accessible for all members of the community.

“What we’ve done is a granite path all the way round the church, which means those with disabilities – particularly those with wheelchairs – can access the building, and what the new extension offers is that they can get into church of their own accord without having to navigate a step. That for me is the first part of the significance of this extension – everybody has easy access to Church.

“The other part of it is making it fit for purpose in terms of having a toilet facility and a kitchenette. So many people have told me they have not been able to come to services because we don’t have facilities on site, and it means we’ll never hear that again."

“Church is about community and this gives the opportunity to build on the wonderful community we have in St. Lawrence," he concluded.