Designs for a new building

With a historical stone church proudly standing beside Brenchley Gardens, and a functional hall ¾ of a mile away, St Faith’s Church has a long history of service to and support from the residents of Ringlestone in Maidstone. The hall on the corner of Chatham Road and Moncktons Lane was a much-loved and much-used community facility since 1935, but sadly it was showing its age, not readily accessible, and no longer fit for purpose.

In May 2020 planning permission was granted to replace the hall and next-door vicarage with a brand new church and community centre, to be known as St Faith's Centre - right in the heart of Ringlestone. With much excitement we unveiled a first look at the new building...

Front view from street

Demolition has begun

Monday, 23 October 2021

Our old church hall in Ringlestone was demolished in October 2021 and the development of the new St Faith's Centre is underway!

In this photo the old vicarage house next door is still standing but that too will soon be demolished, giving us the space we need for the main hall.

In fact this restores the site to its original size, since the vicarage was built on an early subdivision of the plot.

Recycling the rubble

Sunday, 21 November 2021

All of the old cement and bricks from the demolished buildings are being crushed on-site and reused to level the ground and form a hard surface for the heavy machinery. This also minimises the amount of rubble that has to be taken away to landfill.

Demolition complete

Monday, 28 November 2021

Demolition is complete and the site has been levelled and prepared for foundations to begin.

There will not be much visible activity on-site for most of December during the run-up to Christmas. But don't be misled, there is plenty going on behind the scenes to get everything ready to go early in January!

Watching the action

Sunday, 12 December 2021

Here on Moncktons Lane we wanted the safety fence around the building site to permit our neighbours and passers-by to see what was going on day-by-day.

The building contractors are taking special care to ensure it doesn't produce too much dust or noise.

"In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths."
Proverbs 3:6 (ESVUK)

Digging the foundations

Friday, 14 January 2022

At long last, ground has been broken and digging of the foundations has begun. This marks the beginning of a carefully scheduled building plan which aims to finish in about 10 months. We hope you enjoy watching the progress!

A foundation of prayer

Monday, 17 January 2022

The foundations are being poured this week. Arthur prayed over the foundations and placed prayer cards written by church members right into the concrete. St Faith's Centre will be built on prayer!

For practical reasons the foundations for the main hall are being poured first. If you come by the site, this is the first indication of where it will be on the plot. Soon the remaining foundations for the rest of the building will start to take shape.

Rising from a solid foundation

Tuesday, 1 February 2022

The base of the main hall is just starting to rise out of the foundations. Happily, the underground soil and rock conditions make for an excellent foundation and no piling was needed.

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock."
Matthew 7:24 (ESVUK)

Starting to lay the floor

Friday, 11 February 2022

The foundations for the small hall and cafe area are being poured, and the block & beam floor of the main hall is just starting to be installed.

Block and beam is a method of installing a solid floor using pre-stressed concrete beams infilled with blocks. This reduces the installation time and produces a very strong and durable base for the whole building.

The main hall floor

Thursday, 24 February 2022

The floor of the main hall is complete and the other areas are progressing nicely.

What a joy it is to see drawings on an architect's page rising up out of the outlines on the ground, forming walls and filling in floors!

Underground works finished

Friday, 11 March 2022

All the underground works are done! That includes the foundations, pipes and drains. Most of the block and beam floor is complete.

Although there has already been a lot of work done since construction began in January, not much of it was visible on the surface until the floor started appearing.

In a few weeks time the timber frame will arrive. That's the important superstructure which will hold the building up!

The Story of St Faith's Centre so far...