London & South East

Clapham praises £5.5m Deeper Christian Life Ministry project at St John’s Hill

 DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFEDirector for Main Contractor Cameron Black, Stuart Johnson, has commented that work on the project – which has comprised the refurbishment and conversion of the former Granada Cinema at St. John’s Hill, Clapham – has progressed well, with a practical completion date of August 31st.

The 1930s Grade II star listed former Granada Cinema has been modernised, refurbished and adapted whilst repairing and retaining many of the existing features of the original pre-war cinema. The building had been empty since December 1997 and was on English Heritage’s Buildings at Risk list before Assael Architecture secured planning permission in 2005.

The 60-week project began in June 2010. The main contractor was Cameron Black, whilst TMD were the architects, DSA the Mechanical and Electrical consultant and Price and Meyers the Structural consultant. Elite Electrical and Pace Interiors Ltd were also involved in the project.

The work has comprised: a stage extension to incorporate a walk in baptistery pool; the refurbishment of original balcony seating; restoration of fibrous plaster ceiling; removal of asbestos; restoration of terrazzo and mosaic floor to the foyer; refurbishment of 11 original chandeliers, full mechanical and electrical services including 4 major plant rooms and full audio visual equipment. In addition, 3 bespoke kitchens have been installed, along with 15 toilet blocks and lift and toilet access for mobile impaired persons. The auditorium is 34, 600 sq ft, and has the capacity for 2,500 attendees.  Elite Electrical Contracting carried out the electrical installation works on this project including Fire Alarm works, Data & IT works and Security and CCTV works. DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE

 

Stuart Johnson said that the restoration of the fibrous ceiling to the Main Auditorium and Foyers was the key aspect of the scheme as all original ornate features had to be maintained and restored to their original condition inclusive of colour schemes. Access was via a full boarded Birdcage Scaffolding. He noted: “The scaffolding that we had up six months ago was more than I’ve ever seen.”

As 59 new Henley Homes Lumiere apartments had recently been built above the project, noise reduction was an important consideration when adapting the space. Through a range of acoustic treatments, such as the installation of acoustic breaks and floor coverings, NR 35DB was achieved. The scheme therefore required successful coordination between Cameron Black, the design team, the client and the landlord.

Located approximately 300m from Clapham Junction station, the new Deeper Christian Life Ministry is surrounded by a lively mix of bars, restaurants, cafes and shops on Battersea Rise, St John’s Hill, Lavender Hill and Northcote Road. Several bus routes operate along St. John’s Hill. The A025 (South Circular Road) and A3 are both nearby, which in turn offers access to the M4, M25 and M3.DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE

The original cinema was opened as the Granada Theatre by the Duchess of Kent on 8th November 1937. The building has a prominent corner entrance on St. John’s Hill and Plough Road, and the facade is in an Art Deco style. The lavish interior was designed by Theodore Komisarjevsky in an Italian Renaissance style, including a deeply coffered ceiling and the decoration of side-walls with pilasters, paintings and fibrous plaster. From June 1973, the theatre was tripled with 935 seats in the original balcony (using the proscenium and stage) and two small screens with 191 and 197 seats located in the rear stalls under the balcony. The Granada Theatre closed in 1980 before being reopened in May 1991 as a Gala Bingo Club, which closed in December 1997.

The Deeper Christian Life Ministry project has run to schedule and Cameron Black is pleased with the project as it reaches near-completion. As Stuart Johnson succinctly concluded, “It looks great, and it is very different.”

Cameron Black is experienced in all fit out and refurbishment procurement routes and they are specialists in commercial, retail and private healthcare sectors. Established in 1999, they have near-on 100% levels of repeat business and all four directors – Stuart Johnson, Simon Black, Rupert Shaw and Bob Thompson – have extensive experience in both the traditional and design and build market and are actively involved in the management of day-to-day activities, including overseeing projects. Their clients range from private individuals to blue chip corporations and their external design teams, and they are both a member of the British Safety Council and CHAS Exor & Safe Contractor accredited. Cameron Black base their success on two things: “the passionate approach we take in delivering our service and our willingness to truly integrate with our clients and supply chain on every product.” DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE

The Deeper Christian Life Ministry has a singular mission to proclaim the simple, saving Gospel of Jesus Christ in its purest form. Their purpose is to lead many to salvation through the knowledge of Jesus Christ, to build them up as steadfast believers, and to engage them in His work. Their foundation is the bible: they believe in taking the Word of God at face value, teaching it with diligence and building their entire life and affairs on it. Their preaching is simple, scriptural and serious; holiness of life is their highest aim in Christian service, and it is their objective to promote this in all they do and teach. They believe the old-fashioned message is as relevant today as it was to the initial audience: ‘Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.’ (Hebrews 13:8)DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE

Evertaut

Evertaut are an established name in the theatre seating industry working closely with clients, architects, main contractors and designers.

Our Policy of listen, advise and create worked exceptionally well with the instructions from Cameron Black who required a full refurbishment service to fetch the existing seating back up to the standard of .when they were first installed in 1937, this included replicating the original cast iron metal work in small quantities.

Other Evertaut projects  includes work with English Heritage and include the Crucible Theatre Sheffield, The Former Granada Cinema Clapham, Buxton Opera house and the Savoy Theatre to name but a few.

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