A parish church with more than 230 weekly visitors is looking to change its layout to make the space more child- and family-friendly.
A planning application has been submitted which, if approved, would see St Ouen’s Church fitted out with oak arches and glass screens in order to split the space into separate areas for children and families.
“Glazed screens in historic churches can enhance the architecture without causing harm,” the architect in charge of the plans, Jeremy Bell, wrote.
“They permit enclosure and spatial definition, but their transparency permits visual perception of the spaces beyond. They have the effect of giving boundaries and meaning to leftover space. Yet, the architecture as a whole, the totality of the volumes, is left intact.”
Describing the church’s interior, he said: “The totality of the space is not immediately apparent as you enter. It is not like a hall, where you perceive the whole. However, that is the charm and the character of St Ouen’s Church. It is intriguing. You see partly through to other spaces beyond where you are, and you are invited to explore.”
A safe space for children and families
He added that more than 230 people, adults and children, use the church every week. The proposed areas would be visible through the glass, so he argued that having soundproofed areas inside the church for them would be helpful for safeguarding.
Having children walk to a separate hall “is now unthinkable”, he added.
The church’s Rector, the Rev Ian Pallent, said the church hadn’t had any major alterations since the Victorian era and “is not fit for purpose in modern-day society”, with no hall and until recently, no internal toilets.
At the time, he said, Sunday Schools were held off-site and at a different time and children were to be “seen and not heard”.
As a parish church without a hall nearby, he said, the numbers attending were limited. But English trends showed that children’s attendance “now tends to be concentrated in the largest churches”.
This trend, he said, was reflected in Jersey, with country parish churches split between those with no children attending each week, some with “just a few”, and some with a monthly gathering.
In St Ouen, he added, a third of those who attend the Sunday 10am service are under 18.
Making the church inclusive
Not only would the church be safer for families, but having different sections would also help accommodate families with neurodivergent children, he said, adding: “Providing purpose-built, sensory-friendly spaces is a priority.”
Having separated areas within the church would create break-out spaces and have less intense sound and lighting if required.
Over 96% of the Parish Assembly voted in favour of proposals to reorder the church’s aisles, he said.
The planning application is available to view online.