Transformation of St Nicholas Church, Rattlesden

We are proud to announce the successful completion of a series of sympathetic renovations at St Nicholas Church, Rattlesden, carried out by our specialist historic works team.

Our team undertook the meticulous task of lowering the historic main entrance and constructing a stone ramped entrance. Additionally, we installed a disabled access WC. To achieve this, we removed a 9-meter-high, 120-year-old spiral staircase and relocated an ancient stone from Dorset.

The Church also sought to create a welcoming environment for community events, such as coffee mornings. To facilitate this, we installed a bespoke oak servery area complete with cooking and washing facilities. Furthermore, we crafted a custom curved oak staircase leading to the glazed gallery housing the bell tolling area.

Paul Shanks of Rose Builders expressed, “We were delighted to assist St Nicholas Church with this project. The enhancements made will ensure the Church is accessible and usable by everyone.”

During the project, we were also commissioned to replace the oak block flooring. Our use of historic work processes and sympathetic materials garnered significant praise from both the client and visitors who have since used the facilities.

Throughout the excavation phase, all works were conducted under the supervision of archaeologists, leading to the remarkable discovery of a grave and an 800-year-old skeleton.

Patrick Mead, acting as the Church representative, commented, “We would like to extend our gratitude to Rose Builders for the professional and outstanding execution of the work, and for the craftsmanship and attention to detail in the finished project. A particular thank you to Matt Course for his understanding and dedication to addressing any concerns I raised. The finished works have received numerous compliments from our parishioners.”

A special mention should also go to Philip Orchard from Whitworth, who served as the lead architect for the project.