St Mary’s Church, Black Bourton, Oxfordshire

Overview

The PCC of St Mary’s Church, Black Bourton aligned themselves with the Parish Council to provide a village facility within the church. To provide a more flexible use a WC and Kitchenette area was required.

As with most Churches there was no local drainage to connect to so a Trench Arch drainage system was formed in the Churchyard to provide the drainage. The permissions for this type of system require Environment Agency approval but do provide a good solution for churches in rural areas.

Along with the internal changes and drainage works we had to provide extract ventilation which was discretely located in the roof of the north aisle, which was relayed at the same time.

The Oxford Diocese were very helpful during the discussion as there are realistic views on the community uses of churches with the Church of England guidance at present.