Christ Church Woking

Re-positioning a historic town centre church as a high street and community asset, improving civic connections and defining a series of congregational and community uses.

Client Christ Church Woking Parochial Church Council
Sector High Streets & Communities
Size 2,200m²
Location Woking, Surrey

We were invited by Christ Church to submit ideas to reconfigure and extend their Grade II listed church complex to create a more welcoming and relevant facade in the heart of the fast-developing Woking town centre.

Our initial design approach focused on improving civic connections and defining a series of congregational and community uses.

Won following a three-stage design competition, our reimagining of Christ Church gives this central Woking landmark an elevated presence in the town centre, which has evolved significantly since the church’s construction in 1889.

Our design upgrades and reconfigures the current church to establish an urban identity and create a hierarchy of spaces which more clearly communicates the various activities offered, ensuring the future relevance of both its congregational community and Woking town centre.

The ambitious re-design received planning approval in February 2020 under delegated powers – following support from Historic England and Woking Borough Council – and is currently on site.

Steve Roberts PCC secretary, Christ Church Woking
‘Fathom understood the church’s vision, gained the support of stakeholders and blended modern design with our heritage building. They have grappled with complexities to bring forward good, pragmatic solutions and are a delight to work with.’

Evolving new identity and purpose

A series of contemporary extensions establish civic connections with uses including a public café, bookshop, youth centre and meeting facilities.

For the church, our thorough audit of the historic building establishes more legible routes through the building, flexible spaces which are simpler to maintain, and a new entrance which celebrates the central timber-framed nave.

In the refurbished nave, we have introduced timber and carpet finishes to balance acoustics and durability. New adaptable audio visual equipment and lighting will facilitate a wider range of groups and activities within the space.

Our interior strategy ensures new additions are clearly defined, such as contemporary ribbed timber panelling contrasting with heritage brick and stone. Finishes have been selected to make the spaces lighter whilst ensuring long term maintenance and durability.

Timber-framed nave

Beyond the main worship spaces, distinctions are created between the various functions of the mission with a striking saw-tooth roof profile derived from the patterns, angles and rhythm of the existing building.

Detailed terracotta cladding defines the public uses and compliments the warm red brick of the listed church. Extensions on the north and east elevations employ large areas of glazing to allow views of activities within and animate the street.

The reconfigured building addresses Jubilee Square and offers a variety of uses which allow Christ Church to retain its position at the heart of the rapidly growing town of Woking.

Connecting to the community

The first phase of works delivered a new community café and bookshop overlooking Jubilee Square.

In summer 2026, the first phase of our works will complete with the opening of the church’s refurbished nave, community café and bookshop.

Externally, we introduced three full-height glazed openings to create better civic connections and offer views into the welcoming café space.

Where new brickwork was needed, we recycled as many original Victorian bricks as possible and combined them with new Swanage Berry bricks – made on a traditional Berry machine – to match the texture and colour of existing.

Inside the new café space, we installed rectangular metal lighting tracks with a combination of suspended spotlights and pendants, allowing the flexibility to create different levels of light from low level atmospheric to bright and defined for events.

All new efficient servicing infrastructure has been installed around the Grade II heritage structure, lowering operational costs and ensuring easy access for maintenance.

We relocated the kitchen – doubling it in size – and fully refurbished the serving counter to create welcoming space for visitors. A new oak veneer countertop and timber linings at high and low level introduce warmth, while new blue/grey glazed ceramic tiles offer a contrast to the red textured brick.

To the right of the café, through a smaller arch, customers can directly access the new community bookshop.

A welcoming home for local groups

At the rear of the church, we’re creating a new youth and community centre to offer an autonomous space for local people to host events and activities.

Our new rear extension is designed to be sympathetic to the existing building, with elegant proportions and soft fine brick detailing referencing the rubbed heritage bricks.

The new single-storey structure fans out from the existing brick columns to create its own separate entrance on Church Street East.

Internally, large rooflights framed by exposed timber rafters create a bright open space to support a variety of activities from parent and baby groups to after-school clubs.

A new kitchen and built-in storage units are designed to create an easy transition between different activities.

We retained five parking spaces within limited space and provided additional bike parking. Two of the spaces utilised no-dig construction to avoid root protection zones around existing trees, and planting has been expanded where possible including a new green roof.

New youth and community centre

Environmental and Accessibility upgrades

All new efficient servicing infrastructure has been installed around the Grade II heritage structure, lowering operational costs and ensuring easy access for maintenance.

Our works upgrade the building to modern standards of insulation, ventilation and air tightness with new mechanical, drainage and electrical systems throughout.

Automatic opening vents introduced to the historic windows at the top of the Nave prevent overheating whist a new draught lobby and upgraded doors and windows improve the building’s airtightness.

New efficient gas boilers are installed with infrastructure and planning permission to add air source heat pumps in the future.

Level access is maintained to the Nave, café and bookshop, and we significantly lowered the old vestry floor to ensure all areas of the ground floor were accessible – other than the dias (stage). This has allowed for new level access from the rear of the church, an important and discrete route for those who find the front entrance uncomfortable.

Upgraded toilets on all floors now include wheelchair accessible cubicles and baby changing facilities.

Credits

Architect Fathom Architects
Planning Consultant Pegasus
Project Manager Ridge & Partners
Contractor Ash Contracting Ltd
Structure Fairhurst
Services Qoda
Transport Consultant Qoda

Project Information

Credits