31 Jul 2006
Another Hull Landmark Completed

Gelder and Kitchen have successfully delivered a brand new home for Hull Community Church.

This is the latest in a series of Hull landmarks designed by the partnership since its founder, Sir Alfred Gelder, masterminded the architectural development of the city a century ago.

The new building, situated on the junction of Cottingham Road and Newland Avenue, is a state of the art facility, with a number of flexible spaces to accommodate the many community and charitable activities in which the Church is involved in the city of Hull.

Gelder and Kitchen, the oldest architect’s practice in Hull, first produced a feasibility study in 2001 to demolish the Church’s old building and rebuild to suit its current and future needs. Gelder and Kitchen then went on to both design and project manage the entire process.

“The result,” says lead architect and partner, Tony Anson, “has been something we are really proud of. On the inside, the design allows the Church to accommodate a variety of uses, from counselling drug users and ex-offenders to providing a welcoming and supportive atmosphere to a number of groups such as old people or the homeless. On the outside, the building is a real landmark on what is a key site in this area of Hull.”

As well as a 500 seater auditorium, training suites and a variety of mult-functional rooms, the new building also incorporates a community café and kitchen, as well as a Crisis Pregnancy Centre.  The £1.8 million project was successfully managed by Gelder and Kitchen with no cost overruns.

Despite the Church’s modern design, however, Gelder and Kitchen are no newcomers to designing ecclesiastical buildings. The partnership’s founder, Sir Alfred Gelder, was himself the architect for many churches across Britain, including Trinity Methodist Church, a baroque-influenced, domed church which is situated on Cottingham Road, directly opposite the new Hull Community Church.

“It’s been a particular pleasure,” continues Tony Anson, “to be working on the project directly opposite one of Sir Alfred Gelder’s major buildings in the city of Hull.  I think our founder would be proud of the fact that the partnership he set up back in 1878 is still producing church buildings of such quality.”

Additional Notes:

• Construction of the new building commenced in April 2005 and was completed in July 2006.
• Hull Community Church was established in 1980 and is a registered charity. As well as its community works, it has a regular attendance of 250 adults and 100 children and young people.

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