update – spring 2025
If you’d like to support the project and make a donation, please click HERE to go to our fundraising page.
The Church of the Good Shepherd in Lee has been part of this community for almost 150 years. We have a lively, committed congregation of about 100, and our building is used by many community groups in Lee, including Scouts, Guides, Forest School, English classes for Ukrainians, and others who hire the hall and garden.
We’re lucky to have a large garden surrounded by a boundary wall creating a safe space for children’s activities and outdoor adult events. When there aren’t events on, local people often cut through the church garden or take a moment to sit under the trees on the bench.
But our boundary wall has seen better days!
Along the side of Wantage Road a 4-metre section has fallen over. Other parts of the wall need urgent repair to stop them from collapsing too. This means the space is not secure for children’s activities and fallen bricks could present a trip hazard to pedestrians.
The church boundary wall, largely original, reflects the former Victorian church’s architectural style. Lewisham Council has designated the wall as a locally listed “Community Asset” recognising its significance as an integral component of the Conservation Area. Consequently, the wall must be restored to its original form, which is costly compared to building a simple garden wall, and even more costly due to damaged foundations under the public pavement caused by the wall’s collapse. Obtaining planning permission from both Southwark Diocese and Lewisham Council required meticulous coordination and agreement on the use of bricks, mortar, and foundations. This is why it has taken so long to commence the project, and we are grateful for the support of the Lee Manor Conservation Society in getting these permissions.
Rebuilding the wall and dealing with the foundations in Wantage Road will cost about £44,000. There are additional repairs we’d like to do on the Handen Road side costing £9,000, if we can raise enough. If you’d like to find out more about why the cost is so high, please see the information below.
If you’d like to support the project and make a donation, please click HERE to go to our fundraising page.
Why is the cost of rebuilding the wall so high?
The high cost of the rebuild has surprised us, and some donors. In the interests of transparency, this is the reason it’s so expensive:
The church and its boundary wall is locally listed and we have had to respond to conditions imposed by Lewisham Council and Southwark Diocese. We are required to have deeper and wider foundations, that must go under the pavement, with ‘bridges’ to protect the trees near the base of the wall. In addition, we have been given strict specifications for bricks and mortar to match the historic appearance of the rest of the wall.
The church invited five firms to tender and received four quotes for the work, ranging from £44,000 to £85,000. The church trustees have accepted the bid for £44,000 from a local builder. It is worth saying that the other local builder declined to bid on the project due to the restrictions that have been imposed on us.
As part of the planning process we were required to use a specialist structural engineer, foundations and tree experts, and an architect. The church has provided a total of £25,000 from congregational funds to cover the professional fees and part of the building work, roughly what we had hoped the total cost would have been. Repairs are also required on the Handen Road section to prevent a potential collapse of that section, hence an additional £9,000 stretch target. This work includes replacing modern bricks installed on a section of wall on Handen Road with old bricks from Wantage Road.
We have approached a number of grant-making bodies, but unfortunately, most trusts that support churches exclude boundary walls, while others require us to have already raised a significant amount – usually 50 per cent. These are all reasons why we need to seek the support of the local community to help us with this project.