Building Project

A rebuilt centre for church and community

Phase 1 The Sanctuary

In 2020 we embarked on an ambitious refurbishment of our church buildings.

Phase 1 has created a multi-purpose, accessible, warm and welcoming church building suitable for the 2020s. We removed the pews, leveled the floor and created a new, accessible front entrance. The work also included see new lighting, heating, internet access, recording and streaming facilities and audio-visual equipment.

The new seating and staging will allow the space to be cleared completely for exhibitions, set up ‘in-the-round’ for plays or set up much as it used to be for ceremonial occasions. Of course, a range of worship styles will be accommodated too, including our existing traditional and cafe church services.

The finished building has been renamed “The Sanctuary”. The new name reflects the buildings role as a place of worship and a place of refuge, renewal and refreshment for the whole community.

Image of the Sanctuary looking down from the right of balcony, showing the stage with communion table, lectern and chairs and with prayer stations around the rest of the room
The inside of the refurbished Sanctuary
The exterior of the Sanctuary, clad in scaffolding to enable the replacement of the roof

Phase 2 The Hollinshead Centre

Plans are well advanced for Phase 2 ‘The Hollinshead Centre’, which together with ‘The Sanctuary’, will create an exciting, state of the art, community facility for Chorley. 

Phase 2 will see our halls and meeting rooms completely refurbished and reconfigured with new lighting, heating, AV, internet, room partitions and entrances.

Our halls and meeting rooms will be linked by new corridor ‘cloister style’ buildings allowing independent access to all our premises and providing breakout areas and toilets.

Phase 2 will also include a new build, informal ‘cafe style’ building and kitchen. This will support our Open Kitchen and Meeting Place and will be a place to relax over light refreshments. It will also serve as a circulating and waiting area for those using other parts of the centre and by being placed across the fourth side of the quadrangle, it will create a secure, sheltered, courtyard.

Phase 2 will be completed by new landscaping along our Hollinshead Street boundary that will extend the current gardens in front church to the full width of our site. Please be assured the Memorial Garden will not be affected. Our new car park will be accessed through the Council Car Park which will then act as an overflow.

The Levelling Up Fund

Chorley’s bid for the government’s levelling up fund, of which our plans were a part, were unsuccessful in January 2023. We are reviewing funding options to bring the Hollinshead Centre to fruition in due course.

Proposed North elevation for the extension