Purcell wins St Mary Redcliffe design competition

Purcell has won a major design competition to transform the Grade I listed St Mary Redcliffe church in Bristol.

A national landmark and a living church, St Mary Redcliffe is the equivalent of many European cathedrals and one of England’s largest parish churches.

The £12-15m development project will give the church much needed visitor amenities, step-free access and a community hub on a separate site in the heart of the Redcliffe area. The initiative is linked to wider regeneration plans, placing the church at the heart of a new urban village within the city centre.

The project team said; “Based in Bristol for over 30 years, and with more than a decade’s engagement with the community, Purcell is delighted to work with St Mary Redcliffe. For the church, this project represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to repair the fault lines that exist in Redcliffe’s urban fabric and, in doing so, to position the church at the physical, spiritual and social heart of the city.”

The Reverend Dan Tyndall, Vicar of St Mary Redcliffe, said: “The Jury was very impressed by the finalists’ presentations, their enthusiasm and good ideas, but ultimately, Purcell demonstrated the deepest understanding of the site and context and the opportunity at St Mary Redcliffe. We found their scheme to be crisp, integrated and compelling. A particular strength was the dispersal of accommodation across three locations, helping to tie the disparate northern and southern parts of Redcliffe together.”

The international design competition was organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants.