About the project

Wanstead Parish is first recorded in 1208, but the current churches - St Mary the Virgin and Christ Church - were built in the 18th and 19th centuries respectively. St Mary's is the first church built by the prominent architect Thomas Hardwicke, and has his now distinctive ionic columns at its entrance. Christ Church was built almost a century later as a chapel of ease to St Mary's to cope with the population expansion in Snaresbrook, and was designed by George Gilbert Scott at the height of the Gothic Revival. The Parish has successfully secured grants in the past, including a Grant for Places of Worship to restore two of the walls of St Mary's. The Parish currently runs several community-based projects, including a food bank and the hosting of a Syrian refugee family.

The consultancy's role

Alix Slater Consultancy & Training secured the grant for the 'Securing the future for St Mary's with Christ Church' project, to develop the resilience of the Parish to secure the future of both churches. Architects were procured to work with the consultancy on an options appraisal to explore how the churches can serve their communities better.

The project consulted with the congregation, local communities, schools, agencies working in the local area and potential partners to identify gaps which the Parish could potentially fill.