1. Home
  2. Development appeal

Development appeal

“We need a church building that will allow us to fulfil our aims and support our missions to be a church in and for the 21st Century”

Fr Simon Brandes

Christian worship is thought to have taken place on the site of St Nicholas since the 7th Century. The tower, the oldest part of the church, dates from 1425 with the remainder of the church being rebuilt and completed in 1884. It’s historical importance makes it a Grade II* listed building. To protect and build on this important piece of Chiswick’s heritage, we, the current custodians, need to undertake some urgent repairs and make improvements to better serve our community’s needs today and in the future.

Walk past the church and you will easily see that the stonework is in need of repair. The tower was restored in 2007 and the contrast with the rest of the building is only too apparent. The mortar between the stones needs replacing with a lime mortar to prevent further damage and cracks in the stones; the facings on the stones need replacing and the crumbling decorative stonework needs repair to stop pieces falling off. These repairs are urgent and we would like work to commence this work as soon as possible.

Inside the church we have made essential improvements to the organ, the heating and lighting and importantly are making better use of the available space to make the building more flexible for a wider range of uses. We have introduced toilets and a small kitchen, reconfigured the vestry and sacristy and introduced essential storage for the historically important church archives that we hold.

These improvements will be completed over the next three to four years. Improving a listed, historic building is an expensive undertaking; it is estimated that this programme of improvements will cost £1.1M. Funds will be raised from charitable trusts, community fund raising events and donations. Please help us to reach our target by getting involved. Learn more about the project, give generously of your time and help raise the funds that we need.

Please contact the parish office if you would like to learn more about the project or would like to know how you can make a donation.