Restore & Renew building project
Shirley Parish Hall is going to be renovated – so that even more people from our local community can benefit from its facilities.
Originally built in 1924, it and was used in World War 2 for manufacturing Spitfire parts.
Today, it is used widely by various local groups such as Keep Fit classes, Art groups, Brownies, children’s dance groups, a Repair Café – and a host of private parties. St James' by the Park church (who own the Hall) also use it for children’s groups on Sundays, a lunch club for older people and other events.
Recent users of the Hall know that it is showing its age – for example, the kitchen and toilet facilities are woefully out of date, and it has a high carbon footprint.
The plans for the Hall’s renovation include:
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​Moving the main entrance to face Colebrook Green and creating a welcoming entrance foyer
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Extending the existing roof line in order to create an upstairs room at the Twyford Avenue end of the Hall
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A repositioned and enlarged kitchen to improve catering facilities for all users
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Significantly better environmental rating, with an air source heat pump, solar panels, double glazing and insulation
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Enhancing the accessibility of the building
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Complete redecoration throughout, including new toilets
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Making a feature of the historical gas piping that was used when it was a Spitfire parts factory (in a community survey, this was the historical feature most people wanted to be retained)
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Renaming the Hall to better reflect that it is a Community Centre for everyone in the local area
As part of the works, we will be knocking down the ugly, unusable brick outbuilding (old air raid warden shelter) on the corner of St James’ Road and Colebrook Green. This will make the corner safer by improving visibility, and will also enable us to improve the appearance of this aspect of the Hall, restoring it to the original design.
When finished, the renovated Hall will be able to accommodate up to 3 user groups at a time, compromising one large downstairs room that can accommodate 100 people (similar to the existing main hall); one small downstairs room (suitable for 20 people); and the new upstairs room (for up to 30 people). We know that regular users of the Hall will appreciate the improved facilities and appearance, and hope that other community organisations and groups, as well as private hirers, will want to make use of the Hall for the first time.
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How are we hoping to raise the £8-900,000 needed?
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Individuals in St James’ by the Park church have given or pledged over £275,000 towards Restore & Renew.
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St James’ by the Park Church Council (which owns the Hall) will contribute proceeds from the sale of the former St John’s Church site.
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We are applying for grants from charitable trusts
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We have a series of fundraising events planned, including a quiz night, craft fayre and graffiti day (on the inside of the Parish Hall before it’s redecorated). ​​​
What about the other buildings?
Renovating the Parish Hall will be the first stage of our Restore & Renew project. When the work on the Hall is finished, we will turn our attention to restoring and renewing the church office (on the corner of St James Road and Church Street) which, as well as being a base for the church staff, is a first port of call for local residents in times of need.
Finally, we will then also restore and renew St James’ by the Park church, which is used each week by many local families for The Ark toddler group, by local schools for special occasions, and by many in our community for baptisms, weddings and funerals – as well as for regular Sunday services. We hope to make the entrance more welcoming, improve the hospitality facilities, make the paths around the building safer and repaint the badly peeling window surrounds.
The total estimated cost of this Restore & Renew project is about £1.1m.
