Expanding and Modernising the Building
In the late 1980s, the cost and effort to maintain the ageing building,
combined with the difficulties for some of the older members in
negotiating the steep steps and the uneven passageway between the
Sanctuary and the old Schoolroom, led to a move to consider a major
rebuild/refurbishment to bring the premises up to modern standards 'to
serve the present age'. Meetings were held and an overwhelming majority
of members voted in favour of the scheme which involved pulling down all the buildings to the
rear of the Sanctuary, turning round the interior of the Sanctuary and
reconstructing all the ground floor on one level. The use of the front
doors was to be discontinued with access then in a new entrance hall
between the main hall and the Sanctuary. A chair lift would carry any
disabled to the upper floor as inclusion of a lift was found to be to
difficult to incorporate. In summer 1991, work commenced with the
demolition of the schoolroom. As much as possible of the stone removed
was saved for use in the new building. To allow the work to commence on
the Sanctuary, after the Harvest Festival in that year the site was
vacated altogether and Sunday morning services were held in the Town
Hall as in the reconstruction work done in the previous century. In the
evening, members supported the smaller village chapels in the Circuit.
In March 1992 the contractors handed over a ‘plastered shell’ and
members and friends of the Church then completed the electrics,
plumbing, joinery, decorating, concreting etc. The work was completed in
1992 and the building officially opened by Lord Tonypandy on the second
of June. All debts on the rebuilding work were cleared within one year.
Since then, as well as serving the needs of the Church members has also
provided opportunity to allow groups from the Town to meet in modern,
well appointed surroundings.
Pictures
from the church refurbishment: (click on a small image to see the full
size picture)
Back
|
Primitive Methodism
