Frequently Asked Questions

In order to allow for new underfloor heating the floor has to be removed. This raised the question of whether to retain the raked floor design, or to replace with a level floor. After much consideration it was agreed to proceed with a level floor that would enable us to achieve a level rather than stepped access to the building.

In order to gain the full ‘flexibility of use’ benefit from having a level floor the decision has also been made for the pews to be replaced with ‘Howe 40/4’ chairs. It is envisaged that most often the chairs will remain in place but it will be possible to rearrange them to facilitate alternative aisle arrangements or seating plans.

It seems likely that we will need to purchase the chairs sooner than expected so that we can use them while the church is meeting at Oldfield School. There will be an opportunity to see example chairs before they are purchased and the many questions raised regarding the type of chairs will be addressed at this point, including how best to handle Bible storage.

We will be advertising the disposal of the pews in the hope of finding homes for some of them or a use for the timber. It is not envisaged to make use of them anywhere else on site. Please let us know if you have any interest in making use of the pews.
It has been suggested that a board is made up for the brass pew plaques that commemorate a loved one (as opposed to advertising a local business) so that these are kept on the church site.

Some additional chair storage has been created at the rear of the church and the possibility of storing the chairs (when cleared from the church) in new storage space created within Church House is being explored.

It is proposed to serve communion at the foot of the stage steps along a standing row with a row of seats behind enabling communicants to sit if necessary.

The communion trays and 'wine' will be stored in the vestry at the front of church. There will be access to the refurbished kitchen in Church House.

Drawings have been provided to demonstrate the visual experience of the congregation both seated and standing. The stage height has been increased slightly to improve this experience. If necessary on occasion it will be possible to relay close-up shots of activity on stage to the screens.

The lighting within the scheme has been carefully designed to ensure that there are good levels of ambient light throughout, provided by sensitively sited, reflecting luminaries. Points of increased illuminance levels highlight the stage.

• A significant element of the design is the 'open' and 'connected' feel to the building when entering from the High Street so that there is no mystery as to what ‘lies beyond’. While this does have implications for the transmission of sound between the foyer and the main church building the design team are working to achieve a slight improvement in the acoustic separation between these two areas to that currently experienced.

• Provision will be made for the civic crosses, flags and other items important for civic and more formal services but not necessarily where they currently are.

• The brass Eagle lectern does not feature in the design but it will be retained on site. The stone font is to be moved to the chapel.

• The vestry and two other rooms at the front of church can be used for prayer. The glass walls of these rooms will be opaque.

• The collection boxes will be kept.

• There will be a book display shelf in the foyer / welcome area.

• The cross will be replaced as part of the front of church redesign (see ‘Response 7’ below). The design has recently been reviewed to ensure the cross is prominent.

• It will be possible to use additional temporary staging if required for specific events.
• Shelves will be provided for the display of flower arrangements.

A stair lift is being provided from the chapel (i.e. not in full view of the church) to enable disabled access to the stage.

There are seven stained glass windows in the main church building. The four windows on the front wall will be partially obscured by staircases to the upper rooms. It will be possible to move these to other locations if so desired. The round dove window is being retained in its present location.

The organ will form a major new feature in the church along with the cross, crown and circular window. It had been thought that much of the current organ would be incorporated into the new but on closer inspection there is not much that warrants being reused. It has been noted that the current organ may contain pipes originating from the organ donated to the church by Lady Pocock around 1815. If any of these historical pipes can be identified they will be retained and offered to Maidenhead Heritage Centre or the Borough Museum.

The new welcome area has been carefully considered so that it enables the vision and mission of St Mary's Church to be fully realised.

Principally this involves:

• Providing level access to all doors with improved connections between hall and church, with their associated kitchen and toilet facilities.

• Providing a greatly enlarged 'Welcome Area', that can be used for welcome of members and guests, after service ministry, children's retreat, and overflow seating for peak capacity.

• Provision of high quality, internal furniture constructed from oak that will allow the church to display information about its work. When the building is used for one off events, the same furniture can be used as a welcome and reception desk.

The welcome area has also been designed to be able to be used on a day to day basis to provide a reception and information space to take pressure off the existing church office and to provide a more welcoming environment.

Changes to the design that have already been made in response to questions received include, providing two sets of double doors from the church to the hall, the location of the weekday reception desk not to be fixed, storage provision, a book display and seating.

The heating system is all in the floor, as part of an integrated underfloor heating system. The underfloor heating is in two parts. Firstly a 'wet' underfloor heating system is set into the screed, and secondly 'Trench heaters' are used to boost the heat output. These will be finished with discrete grills set at the same level as the floor. The reason for this design is to heat the large volume of air in the church.

Underfloor heating is used because it is silent, hidden, efficient and effective. It also allows maximum spatial flexibility.

Much thought has being given to the diverse requirements for speech and music. An acoustician's advice has been sought and is being followed. This includes wall and ceiling treatments. We have worked hard on speech intelligibility at St Mary's over recent years and are looking for further improvement out of the new church design.

While the building work is underway and the church is meeting off site on Sundays the plan is to retain the use of the church hall and room in the Old Vic. However, it is likely that it will only be possible to provide pedestrian access to the site. It is unclear at this time whether the garden will be available to use.