Good news for those interested in St Stephen’s, Rosslyn Hill. The £3.5 million Phase 2 Works, the major repair and restoration, is nearly complete, and Phase 3 is moving very quickly to fit out the lettable space created in Phase 2. St Stephen’s will then be operational.
St Stephen’s has been faithfully restored to its pre-WWII state and although income from the lower- ground floor lettable space is a major feature of the business plan, St Stephen’s will need to earn a good deal from community and social lettings of the main body of the building in order to maintain the building in the condition it deserves and English Heritage will expect.
A theatrical company, Antic Disposition, is already booked for a five-week run of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in March and April as well as Much Ado About Nothing in June/July and A Christmas Carol over Christmas 2009. The Trustees are also proud that St Stephen’s will be a venue for a Benjamin Britten opera in May, as part of the Hampstead and Highgate Festival for the first time. Watch the signboards for further events and booking details.
Although St Stephen’s is now operational much work still remains to be done such as cleaning more of the external fabric, repairing boundary walls etc. This must await further funding but there is a much more pressing financial problem.
The not-so good news is that the major works have proved more expensive than we had hoped. Many things look worse when viewed closely from scaffolding than they looked through binoculars from the ground! For example, we had to spend an extra £50,000 to completely re-roof the aisles. We have in the last ten years raised £4.5 million which has been a great achievement. We are likely to be £200,000 short, but that is not a bad percentage against the £4.5 million we have raised. Nevertheless we desperately need more donations in fact every pound your generosity will allow.
St Stephen’s is now available for letting and we will be happy to accept bookings for theatre, concerts, recitals, wedding receptions, private parties, exhibitions, conferences, film and photo shoots and any other community use that comes to mind. We have every reason to hope that St Stephen’s will become the most sought-after venue on the neighbourhood. Please telephone 0207 419 0544 or 0207 433 1272 for information.
M L Taylor
Chairman of the Trustees.
St Stephen’s opens it doors