Conversion and Refurbishment, Church House, St Saviour’s, Knightsbridge
St Saviours Church was built in two phases between 1870 and 1890, and is Grade Two listed. Located in Wilton Street, just behind Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, the church had a dwindling congregation and a significant redevelopment potential. Rather than close the church and church hall, the diocese decided on a compromise strategy to reduce the size of the church and community centre, to free up 70 % of the site for residential development. Our clients, The Raven Group, bought an 80 year lease on the site and created two houses, each in excess of 800 square metres, on the basis that this solution would create the most appropriate development, given the huge constraints of the confined site and the listed fabric.
The Church House is a four storey residence built up inside the volume of the church, with a new basement incorporating a swimming pool below. Both houses were successfully completed in 1999 after a two year construction period. For us the project will be remembered for the intense working relationship that we had with the contractor, and the works included the jacking up and complete reconstruction of the Church’s foundations.
Architect SCH Architects
Client The Raven Group Ltd
Project Value £8.5 million