By Julia Cameron
Paternoster Press. 160 pages
ISBN 0 9516316 1 6
I was delighted to read this book. It's the story of St. Nicholas, Sevenoaks, and how they undertook 'a building project that seemed impossible'. When Miles Thomson arrived as Rector in 1987, the church had a serious accommodation problem. His brief was to solve this.
Initial attempts to extend the buildings were met with furious opposition by local heritage groups and eventually turned down by the Secretary of State. The only solution was to build underneath the church. This was by far the most expensive and risky option. St. Nicholas dates from the 12th century, and to build underneath would involve underpinning the ancient church. This had never before been done anywhere in the world. The cost would be £2 million from a church with 350 adults.
