History and Background of the All Saints Hall Redevelopment Project
All Saints Church was built in 1837. It was designed in the Early English Gothic style and is constructed of local limestone and ashlar to the principal elevations with lias stone used on the north elevation. The Reredos was added in 1870 and the Vestry in 1871. In 1874 the church School was built and remained in use until the 1960s. The Church Hall was built in 1969 to the north and parallel with the church. The church was re-ordered in 2009/10. The North and South Transepts had galleries above them which were removed during the re-ordering completed in 2010.
The re-ordering was backed by the whole Fellowship, who wished to address the challenge of having very few young people and families at services. The aim was to re-order the inside of the church to make it more “user-friendly” and comfortable and to use new technology to make the presentation of the Christian message more accessible to the younger generation. The re-ordering is regarded as being entirely successful as shown under “Church Services and Mission Events”, in the Statement of Need 2021. All Saints has attracted many new members, and the toilet facilities are inadequate, now some 55 years old, for the use of its growing congregation and groups using the Church Hall.
Church Hall Toilets and Conference Room
It was against this background that the All Saints PCC appointed a Sub-Group in May 2019 to improve the Hall toilets and car park arrangements with the remit to provide adequate toilet facilities for a growing congregation, more car park spaces with improved access and outside space and facilities for the Nursery/Pre-School, which, at the time occupied the Old School Building (OSB). Four PCC members were appointed to the Sub-Group which met at approximately six-week intervals until April 2023 since its inception.
A brief meeting with the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) prior to the start of the project was helpful as it advised the Sub-group to appoint an Architect who had significant experience in designing and building toilets. Three Architectural Practices were interviewed, and David Wilkins, Architectural Conservation and Design, was appointed on 24 July 2020 after a delay due to the Covid 19 Pandemic. By January 2021, plans prepared by David on their third iteration were submitted to the PCC which then authorised the Sub-Group to apply to the DAC for a faculty to undertake the project.
A planning application was made to EDDC Planning Department by David Wilkins for its approval later in the year. During the next few months Statements of Significance and Need, a Design Statement, photographs and other supporting documentation were prepared and loaded onto the Church of England’s National Faculty Application Portal. Further discussions were undertaken with the DAC during August and then on 18 November, All Saints was awarded a faculty by the Exeter Diocesan Registrar.
The specification of the building work for the new toilets and conference room was provided by an Exmouth-based Quantity Surveyor who predicted an estimated project cost of £215,000. Part of the faculty process involved displaying the plans for the new toilets and conference room, which comprises 6 cubicles in the ladies toilets, 3 urinals and 2 cubicles in the gents toilet, an access toilet and cleaner’s cupboard and a conference room with a kitchenette, in May and June outside the church. The plans can be seen in church and on the All-Saints Church website.
During this period, the drive on the eastern side of the church was widened to improve access and provide additional parking spaces. New, replacement drains were installed to take rainwater from the roof of the OSB, the western side of the slated roof of the OSB was recovered and then a fence was installed around the eastern lawn in front of the OSB to provide outside space for the Nursery/Pre-School.
December 2021
As discussions were taking place about fundraising for the Hall toilets and conference room project, the PCC was informed in December 2021 by the Trustees of the Nursery/Pre-School, the tenants of the OSB for over 30 years, that it would cease trading on 31 December and would no longer require the OSB after 31 January 2022 when the OSB would be returned to the church. At its next meeting, the PCC instructed the Sub-Group on toilets and car parking to make recommendations to the PCC on the future use of the OSB.
The Sub-Group was renamed the Hall Facilities Sub-Group around this time. Various improvements were recommended and adopted by the PCC over the next 14 months. These included refurbishing the OSB Storeroom, extending and refurbishing the Church Office which was completed in March 2023 and improving the OSB toilets as they did not meet current legislative standards and it would not be possible to let the OSB conference rooms commercially without bringing the toilets up to standard. The funds for this work (£58,000) were taken from the Fisher Legacy and were completed in September 2023. During October 2023 the All-Saints DIY Team decorated the 2 conference rooms in the OSB.
The faculty was due to run out on 18 November 2024 However an application to the Diocesan Registry for a 2-year extension was successful and the faculty now runs out on 18 November 2026. Planning permission was due to run out on 30 September 2024. However, discussions with the EDDC Planning Department confirmed that if a roof skylight in the Lounge conference room was installed by 30 September, then the project would have begun. This was achieved.
November 2023
During November 2023 members of the church family received a letter from our Vicar, Reverend David Caporn, re-iterating the vision for our church:
- God-honouring, Christ-following, Spirit-led and Bible-based.
- Welcoming, open-hearted, outward-looking and relevant.
- A people who are humble, gracious, generous and servant hearted.
This had been discussed at the 2023 Annual Parochial Church Meeting. The major part of his letter discussed progress with our building plans and the need to raise funds to implement them. He invited everyone to one of two meetings on Wednesday, 15 November 2023 at 7.30pm and on Saturday, 18 November at 10.30am so members could ask questions about our building plans. Also, he enclosed a pamphlet entitled “All Saints Renewal……more than just a building project” estimating that we needed around £300,000 in order to upgrade the Hall toilets and conference room.
Then in September 2024, after discussion at a PCC meeting, David sent out a letter with pledges and gift forms to the church family members indicating that the church intended to hold a Gift Day on Sunday, 13 October 2024 for the Hall Redevelopment Project (toilets and conference room). A form was included which asked members to volunteer for fundraising and to indicate in which areas of fundraising they were experienced. Over 60 offers of help were received. David organised a drop-in session to discuss the Hall Redevelopment Project further on 28 September and held a Prayer Meeting for the Project on 5 October.
June 2025
At the time of writing in early June, approximately £140,000 has been pledged or donated to date. This amount includes the proceeds of several recent fundraising events.
A Hall Redevelopment Oversight Group has been formed with teams covering Prayers (Leader, Sarah Rock-Evans), Fundraising (Leader, Susan Gregory), Grant Applications (Leader, Sheila Maycock), Individual Giving (Leader, John Russell) Buildings (Leader, Malcolm Crabtree) and Communications (Leader, Allan Ginman). The Teams will meet regularly and the Oversight Group, chaired by David, will meet quarterly in February 2025, in May 2025, in August 2025 and in November 2025.
RMC: 02/06/25.