The Church of the Martyrs in Leicester is a busy community hub, hosting services, community events, teaching and meetings. Its traditional-style nave featured fixed pew seating and was not well suited to this range of activities so, with the approval of the diocese, the church undertook a major refurbishment. The pews were replaced with flexible stacking chairs, new flooring was laid, new lighting installed and ThinkingWall freestanding, mobile partitioning introduced. The result is a versatile, open-plan space that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate a range of different events and activities.

Removing some pews changed how the space was used

While the nave (the central area in the church) provided a lot of seating, the pews were fixerd in place. This reduced the usefulness and flexibility of the space for smaller group meetings and events.

“We wanted to make the space friendlier and help people to engage more.”
– Vicar Bertin, Church of the Martyrs

The church had previously refurbished the kitchen and as part of this, they removed a small section of pews to provide more space. They quickly noticed that during their Saturday morning ‘coffee bar’, people naturally congregated in the newly opened area, using it as a social space.

In the end, there were so many people keen to use the space that the church decided to take things a step further. They removed the pews from the entire nave; these are now beginning their new lives as much-loved and sentimental pieces of furniture in the homes of various church members. The absence of the pews left a large open-plan space which they filled with stackable chairs that they can easily rearrange as required.

The project was undertaken with approval from the Diocese of Leicester, allowing the church to make significant changes to the nave while retaining its function as a place of worship.

“It’s given us the flexibility to use the space for a lot more”
– Ben, church member

The Challenge: turning a large open-plan church nave into an appropriate space for small group meetings and events

Removing the fixed pews and replacing them with flexible seating left the church with a practical open-plan area. They now needed a way to divide the area for smaller groups or separate meetings. Church member Wendy of design company Newenglish was keen to find some partitioning that would add to the newfound flexibility of the nave and be useful for the varied events and activities hosted by the church. “We looked at a lot of different screens, but needed something robust and substantial”, explains church member Ben, who project managed the refurbishment. “Many of the other screens we saw stood at an angle or were not heavyweight enough; in a church with children running about we needed something that we could trust to remain standing.”

Designed to be robust and stable, ThinkingWall was a safe way to divide the nave without creating a permanent barrier. Its locking castors allow it to be easily moved around but remain in place once a location has been chosen.

“One of the biggest gains is the atmosphere that ThinkingWall creates. It’s a cosier, warmer space to have a small meeting in rather than being lost in the big open nave.”
– Vicar Bertin

Thanks to the flexible seating and partitioning, the space now has many uses:

Community activities

Toddler groups, children’s activities and other community sessions can occupy a welcoming small area, rather than taking over the whole nave.

The summer children’s group will divide from one large, lively group into smaller, more focussed and calmer small sessions.

Meetings and classes

Alpha courses can begin with a large group welcome (20-30 people) and divide into smaller groups for discussion and conversation.

The screens also create private spaces for church staff and members to discuss ideas, plans and events.

Prayer groups

A quiet, more intimate setting for small group prayer and spiritual support takes place in a space sectioned off from the nave.

Small groups for teaching and worship

Children and youth activities take place in smaller, divided groups in the nave following the large-group Sunday service.

Screening and storage

The screens are used to conceal stacks of folding chairs and other equipment when they are not required, giving the nave a more orderly appearance.

Shared meals

Church members and members of the community often eat together, for example members share lunch after Sunday Service, or serve a meal before an Alpha course begins. Some chairs are removed from the nave to create space for folding tables to sit at.

Before

After

More than a partition, ThinkingWall supports the church’s different activities

ThinkingWall is not just partitioning. In addition to adding acoustic curves to their space, the church also chose a mobile acoustic AV unit, a whiteboard unit and some ThinkingWall slatted screens. The TV screen is used in small group tuition and to display song lyrics during group worship. The whiteboard is used to add focus to group work and Alpha tuition courses, and has even been used during a sermon to add questions, ideas and Bible references for the congregation to follow.

The ThinkingWall slatted screen is important for an organisation such as a church, as it provides a degree of visual separation without completely closing off the space. This is important to meet safeguarding protocols and also gives a feeling of togetherness; small groups feel contained while retaining a visual connection with the wider nave.

“It’s great that through the slatted screen you can be seen having a meeting. People know where you are and at the same time know that you’re off-limits.”
– Vicar Bertin

Vicar Bertin (right) meets with two church members. ThinkingWall screens provide them with a private area to talk, sectioned off from the main church nave.

From fixed-layout space with limited versatility to an open-plan area suitable for a range of meetings, events and activities

The Church of the Martyrs set out to transform an inflexible space into a community resource used for services, events, meetings and activities. It was a big project involving removing the fixed pew seating, laying a new wooden floor, investing in brighter lighting and adding flexible ThinkingWall partitioning to the nave. The result is a welcoming, practical space that can comfortably accommodate large groups for worship and services, teaching groups both large and small, private prayer meetings, group lunch after Sunday service, children’s play and everything in between.

Church member Ben, who project managed much of the work, notes that at the end of the first Sunday service in the ‘new style’ nave “people stayed in the nave. They were chatting and socialising and they moved their seats around into small groups. It was great to see people embracing the new flexibility and making it work for them.”