By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: Locals in a village near Bath with an unusual brutalist church are appealing to the bishop to be able to buy it before it is demolished.
Built in 1967, the bold angular design of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Batheaston stands out against the Georgian homes of little Batheaston and it has always divided opinion. While some call the little catholic church the “village joke,” others see it as an “important historical statement” and it has now been locally listed.
But the church closed in 2020 and the Diocese of Clifton has planning permission to knock down the church and build four houses in its place. Now locals have launched a petition on change.org urging the Bishop of Clifton to give them the chance to buy it first.
Petition starter Sasha Laskey wrote: “The Church of the Good Shepherd has stood as a beacon of unity and community spirit in Batheaston, a space where individuals from various walks of life came together, fostering bonds of belonging, trust, respect, and pride. As the future of this site hangs in the balance, we, as residents committed to preserving our shared values, call on the Bishop of Clifton, the Right Reverend Bosco MacDonald, to grant our community the first option to purchase the site, and up to six months to formulate a development plan that aligns with our community’s interests.”
She added: “Our community is not averse to redevelopment or repurposing. Instead, we see this as an opportunity to shape a new chapter for the site that has been part of our village for over 50 years and that remains true to its original spirit of service to the community.”
The diocese has planning permission to build four homes in the place of the church, which locals say will change the character of the village. Even people in the village who would be happy to see the church knocked down have objected to the planned new homes.
120 people had lodged objections to the plans, with just one person voicing their support. Batheaston Parish Council and Bathavon North councillor Sarah Warren (Liberal Democrat) had called the plans in to Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning committee — but instead the decision to permit the demolition was made by the council’s planning officers without a vote being cast.
The church was designed by Bath architect Martin Fisher — who was also behind the design of St Peter and Paul’s in Combe Down — and consists of poured concrete blocks. It does not have a traditional spire, but instead its square roof slopes up to the south east corner, reflecting the tent of a travelling pilgrim.
Rather than stained glass, it uses blocks of a material called “Kalwall,” which look almost concrete-like from outside. Their coloured pattern can be seen from the inside as the light shines in through the window but is only revealed to people outside when the church is lit up from within.
After plans to demolish the church were submitted, Bath and North East Somerset Council’s conservation expert Caroline Power said the architectural value of the building had been “underplayed by the applicants.” She had the church locally listed as a non-designated heritage asset
She said: “The church is a landmark structure that contributes towards the character of the locality and is worthy of retention, despite its contrasting materiality and built form. Solutions demonstrating its re-use as part of the redevelopment of this site should be provided before demolition is considered.”
Emblematic of the changing face of the Catholic Church, the Church of the Good Shepherd was the first church in the area built after the major changes of Vatican II and adopted the now iconic brutalist style of the times. Three years later, similar ideas would lead to the construction of Clifton Cathedral in Bristol, the seat of the bishop. Clifton Cathedral was Grade II* listed in 2000.
You can sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/grant-batheaston-first-option-to-buy-church-site
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