Building work in this area has to be sympathetic to and cognisant of the demands of this special environment.
Barfoot & Powell Ltd, a family owned and run building company, has successfully met these demands over the last 50 years, after Mr Edward Barfoot and Mr Dennis Powell founded it in nearby Sholing in 1949. Today its main office is in Swanwick, Southampton and its work includes the New Forest as well as other sites in Hampshire and Dorset.
Sales Director Judy Barfoot says, “We offer a personal service to our clients, ably assisted by a long serving skilled work force and technical staff. Currently, we undertake work up to £3,000,000 and pride ourselves on the high quality of our work and tight programming. Among our more recent and interesting projects have been St Thomas’s Church in Lymington, St John’s House in Winchester for the YMCA and a Hydrotherapy Pool at Southampton General Hospital. New build projects underway are a block of four one bedroom houses in Gosport and a fabulous new church in Hook for the Life Church.”
St Thomas’ Church is at the physical and spiritual heart of Lymington today, as it has been since erected in 1250. The recent Renewal Project has modernised and enhanced the décor and facilities for the 600 people capacity for the people of Lymington. The £775,000 project included removal of the existing pews and replacement with flexible seating and staging and redecoration, which lightens the whole building.
Efficient heating system with intelligent controls, modern low energy lighting, complete electrical rewiring, installation of a wheelchair lift, new floor covering, modern audio-visual equipment, a remote organ console, glass doors into the main area and a space for parking buggies.
The church will now be available for exhibitions; dramas, workshops, concerts and conferences in a comfortable, bright and gloriously well lit surrounding for generations to come.
Judy says, “We carried out the interior alterations, including the replacement of timber ground floors with concrete and screed, incorporating underfloor heating, new servery and associated drainage, a complete mechanical and electrical upgrade of the whole building, a new kitchen, sundry joinery alterations and the complete redecoration of the church. This was an exciting project for us and maintains our work with churches in the New Forest. Without a doubt, one of the most spectacular aspects of the work is the new engraved glass front doors, by Tracey Sheppard that enable the interior of the Church to be viewed even when shut!”
At the Service of Thanksgiving for the Re-Opening, attended by the Bishop of Southampton, on Sunday 9 October 2011, the Rev Peter Salisbury, Vicar of St Thomas Lymington said,
“We have greatly appreciated the work of our team of professionals, especially our architect and project manager, James Lunn-Rockcliffe who gave shape to our dreams; and our builders, Barfoot and Powell, who undertook their work with true craftsmanship and with respect for the sanctity of this ancient house of prayer”.
For further information please
telephone 01489 576281 or visit www.barfootandpowell.co.uk
