BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON
HISTORIC CHURCHES
21ST ANNUAL EDITION
25
STRUCTURAL GLASS FOR
HISTORIC CHURCHES
Peter Hazeldean
M
ANY OF
Britain’s most inspiring
churches are centuries old and
while much of their charm lies
in their historic architecture and materials,
it’s important that the needs of modern
congregations aren’t overlooked in favour of
zealously preserving them in the time-warp
of a previous century. Too many historic
churches have become redundant shells in
recent decades, and sympathetic adaptation is
often key to their survival, enabling wider use
by the community and the congregation itself.
Common problems include open draughty
spaces that are impossible to heat; a lack of
contained spaces to hold private meetings; fire
protection and security issues around entrance
doors; the need to introduce an acoustic barrier;
or insufficient space for a thriving congregation.
While ongoing maintenance and
conservation of the existing building are
obviously important, the problem of how to
update the church to meet 21st-century needs
and standards without losing the magnificence
of the existing architecture can prove a bigger
challenge.
Provided it is correctly installed, structural
glass is robust, durable and easy to maintain
and will meet a wide scope of contemporary
requirements with minimal aesthetic impact.
Creating new spaces with glass will still permit
natural light to illuminate the interior (especially
important where stained glass windows are
a prominent feature) while retaining heat
and sound. Use of architectural glass opens
up exciting opportunities to make significant
changes to the functionality of the space without
obscuring or damaging historic church fabric.
ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS
ARE CRITICAL
Measuring the space is of particular importance
when working in historic buildings because
the stonework was hewn by hand. Arches
that appear to be perfectly regular often
prove to be substantially asymmetrical when
surveyed using a laser distance measurer.
Fitting glass perfectly around stone corbels
and carvings requires additional precise
detailing and the use of a contour gauge
(a comb-like device with sliding metal teeth)
will record every nuance of the stonework
to achieve the optimum result. Each panel
of glass must be manufactured to order and
accuracy in specification is critical. Glass
industry standard tolerance in manufacture
varies depending on the size of the panel but
a close fit to the original stonework can be
achieved by a glass specialist with experience
in recording intricate and irregular surfaces.
CREATING SPACES WITH GLASS
Whether it’s a place where younger children can
be cared for during Sunday services to allow
their parents to worship without distraction,
or a private area for discussion or counselling,
the addition of a meeting room in a church
creates the potential for new and extended uses.
Holy Trinity Church is just off Sloane
Square in the heart of fashionable Chelsea.
Its tight urban site meant that the church’s
requirement for meeting rooms had to be met
within the church – there was no opportunity to
expand externally. Built in the late 1800s, Holy
Trinity has been described as ‘the cathedral
of the Arts and Crafts Movement’ and it
contains treasures by some of the leaders of the
movement, including magnificent stained glass
by Edward Burne-Jones and Christopher Whall.
An area under the original gallery on either
side of the main entrance to the church had
been used for informal meetings and storage
but offered no privacy. Plans were drawn up to
create two rooms constructed from structural
A new glass balustrade at St Peter’s Church, Dunchurch, Warwickshire (All photos: Ion Glass)
