Goldsworth Park took some 20 years to build, bridging three villages, Knaphill, St Johns and Horsell. It started tentatively with building happening just across the road from these locations, gradually working its way into the center and lake. When I arrived on Goldsworth Park in around 1998 it was the finished article, I never experienced the building or strife felt and endured by the early residents. One of the biggest issues was the slow progress of the central area which houses; Waitrose, newsagents, health centre, dentist, church, youth centre (formally), petrol station and pub. Without all these vital services and no central focus point it must have been hard to get by, let alone build a community.
Left: Press photograph May 1990 by Bill Bedminster.
Right: Plan of the Worship Room, taken from St Andrew’s Church - The Early Years August 1995 by Barbara Davies
There was pressure from the established supermarkets not to build a large shop on the park as their new customers would leave them, forgetting that they were temporary. The church played a big role in pushing through the proposals, petitioning the secretary of state and ensuring the centre was built, including the church. This week while reading about the new town of Northstowe, it was shocking to hear the exact same issues happening there, over 40 years later.
As I mentioned yesterday the church congregation started by meeting in their houses, moving to Beaufort School once it became unmanageable. It was obvious that a dedicated church would be needed and it’s clear the push to fundraise, design and build brought them even closer together.
St Andrews Church - Worship Room
The design of the church by Robert Potter was spread across two levels to ensure maximum use of the small plot gifted by Ideal Homes. The downstairs consisted of offices, communal meeting spaces and a kitchen. Upstairs was dedicated to worship with a 300 capacity “Worship Room”. Walking up the stairs today 3 things struck me:
- The scale, the space is vast, much like a cathedral it makes you feel small.
- The light, which softly falls down from the ceiling, and across the seating from high up side windows, windows which only reveal clouds and trees.
- The quietness, the church is right in the hustle and bustle of the shopping precinct but it’s perfectly silent.
It’s an impressive space, which has stood up well since it’s completion in 1988.
St Andrews Church - Seating
Downstairs there is a smaller prayer room with a book of remembrance, a café called “Andy’s” along with kitchen and several offices. I met a few staff and showed them some images from 1990 taken by a press photographer which I acquired from local historian Iain Wakeford. They seemed to know almost everyone in the photos, which was great to see, a snapshot in time and reinforces my passion for documenting the world around us.