The power of Tove: a building project Covid couldn’t cancel

The power of Tove: a building project Covid couldn’t cancel

A meeting at CRE National 2018 led leaders of a Northamptonshire church to call on exhibitors BCHN Architects to design their revamped premises.

Two churches – Tove Baptist and Towcester Baptist with Helmdon and Western Baptist in Northamptonshire – had amalgamated and moved to the Tove Valley Centre with one group meeting in Weston Chapel.

The new building contains a meeting hall to seat 186 people, featuring an entrance foyer with a folding door that opens to increase capacity for large events. A reception office and kitchen servery open into the foyer while a full catering kitchen and servery also opens onto the meeting hall. Three meeting rooms for 10, 20 and 30 people were created – to be used as lettable spaces as well as children’s classrooms during Sunday services.

Despite building work being halted for six weeks because of Covid, the job was finished in March 2021 and the first service held in April.

Church deacon Rosie Binlay, who with husband Jeremy were the church’s project leaders, told BCHN: ‘We enjoyed learning (fast) how to run a building. A new user commented on the building and I honestly said we couldn’t improve on the design.’

A second phase is planned for which the church is now raising finance.

Baart Harries Newall Architects, a multi award-winning practice, was founded in 1963 and became BCHN in 2023 following a merger with Bott Cruise Architects. BCHN will be at CRE Midlands to discuss potential church projects of all kinds. The company’s Mike Cruise will also talk on ‘Collaborative design for your new church building’ (3pm, Thu 9 Nov). More information here.

• BCHN will be on stand P9 at CRE Midlands 23

Photo: Tove Valley Centre in Northamptonshire.

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Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

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