Heritage Open Day visitors were amongst the first to see the full glory of St Alphege Church in Solihull, better revealed by the new lighting scheme installed as part of a series of planned improvements being led by Burrell Foley Fischer.
Described as “England’s largest festival of history and culture” every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events for Heritage Open Days. It provides the chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are free to explore. St Alphege Church joined the 2024 event and welcomed visitors throughout the day.
St. Alphege Church, named for the Archbishop of Canterbury martyred by the Danes in 1012, is an 800 year old building in the heart of Solihull. The church has architecture from the Early Thirteenth to the Sixteenth Centuries, including an unusual two-storey chapel, a chantry above an unspoilt crypt chapel where the priest lived, which is complete with fireplace and easily barred Medieval door. There is also some fine Nineteenth and Twentieth Century stained-glass, but sadly only fragments of the medieval glass and wall-paintings survive.
Given its history and unique position, as very much Solihull’s civic parish church, the PCC launched ‘Project Turnaround’ focusing on unlocking the untapped potential. The project is centred on Mission, and how the church connects with its wider community, addressing the basic expectations of a welcoming, comfortable and hospitable environment. Phase I, the new lighting project, working with Bruce Kirk of CBG Consultants as the main lighting designer, was completed earlier this summer. Throughout the church we have introduced a new, environmentally friendly, lighting scheme which allows much more opportunity to control the space’s visual qualities and better reveal its magnificent architecture.
The designs for Phase II, the remodelling of the interior along with the narthex, were recently submitted for DAC approval. BFF have been integral to both the development of the vision behind the project and the designed response to support this, bringing the church building up to standard to support its 21st century role.