St Andrew’s Church, Holborn

The first written record of the church of St Andrew Holborn, London, dates back to 951. The medieval church escaped damage in the Great Fire of London but was in a state of disrepair and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1686. In 1941 the church was bombed and gutted with only the exterior walls and tower remaining. It was restored, “stone for stone” by Lord Mottistone and Paul Paget and reopened in 1960. The Grade I Listed church now stands within a small estate of gardens and ancillary buildings, including the listed Consistory Court.

The Studio designed a masterplan which included proposals to reorder the Grade I Listed Wren church; provide a full immersion Baptistery; develop the Crypt to provide a Counselling Centre, multi-purpose Hall and ancillary accommodation; introduce a Café/Restaurant in the north garden and a monk’s urban retreat in the courtyard; reorder the St Andrew foundation buildings and Consistory Court. The masterplan connected the proposed elements with a raised landscape to draw the public through the site, linking the proposed spaces and new ephemeral structures.

This project was led by Matthew Swinhoe, director of ZRP, whilst at Hutchinson Studio Architects.