By Victoria Munro

The work in progress (credit: Pam Stone)

An ancient Walthamstow church is undergoing a multi-million renovation to allow it to host concerts as well as worship.

The project began in 2015, when it was discovered that St Mary’s in Church End was in urgent need of repair.

Rather than just restoring its condition, the church decided to expand and revamp the space to add a gallery, cafe and room for events.

The work in progress (credit: Pam Stone)

The St Mary’s website explains: “It became to find a way to make our ancient building the heart of Walthamstow once again, as it has been in centuries past, and in so doing to make it accessible and financially sustainable.”

The project received £1.67million from Heritage Lottery funding and will cost £3.4m in total.

It is hoped the building will be back in use by the end of the year, ideally in time for Christmas services, although some elements may not be completed until early 2023.

Read our interview with St Mary’s ‘illustrated priest’ from our January edition here.

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