Planning for the Future at St Peter and St Paul’s

After years of battling to save the beautiful but endangered church of St Peter and St Paul in Algarkirk, the plans for its restoration and adaptation are ready to be shared with the public. The plans will be revealed in the church at a consultation event on Sunday 7th February. Drop in between 1pm and 4pm to view the designs and share your views with the architect and project team. And, while you are there, visit the craft fair at Algarkirk Village Hall, to see quality products from a range of local craftspeople – and some prepared by members of Algarkirk’s Crafty Coffee Club, and enjoy some delicious homemade cakes and refreshments.

“While nothing is set in stone, we now have a set of plans that show how we feel the church will be able to be used as both a place of worship and community resource,” explained AMPG project leader, Diana Reid. “There will be a café and library area, workshop areas for craft or community activities, an interpretation area, which will give visitors information about the church and its history, and toilets. We are also hoping to develop St Peter and St Paul’s as a centre of excellence and training for bell ringing which will provide another activity for the village.”

John-Paul Walker, partner in the architects Walker Cunnington who have been responsible for drawing up the repair and adaptation plans added: “There has been a lot of consultation already with those involved in the Algarkirk Church project, as well as with specialists from organisations such as Historic England and the Diocese to make sure that everything we are planning is possible within the historic and religious framework of this building, but on Sunday we are looking forward to getting feedback from the people who will be using these facilities. Their opinions are very important to us too.”

Once the adaptation work is completed, the building will also function as an outpost of Lincoln Castle’s Heritage Skills Centre, and will offer visitors the opportunity to understand and experience traditional building techniques.

Diana said: “We already have the Crafty Coffee Club meeting twice a month, a stained glass group making some lovely items; the History Group is working on research projects, and our congregation is growing. It is so lovely to see this wonderful building beginning to take on an increasingly important role in village life again. We just hope that even more volunteers will continue to get involved and support the project. It is proving to be very worthwhile, and a lot of fun too!”