Historic Buildings

St Richard’s 60:60 – Celebrating our first 60 years and preparing for the next

St Richard’s Church was built in 1964 as part of and in the heart of the Wates housing estate. It is an iconic building with a landmark presence, forming part of Ham Riverside’s identity and functioning as both a religious and community space. It has many unique architectural and artistic features acknowledged by its Grade II listing and is inseparable from the history of this locale. Its timber hyperbolic paraboloid roof is one of the few remaining examples in the country, but the covering has failed, and the unique timber shell construction is rapidly deteriorating. The seriousness of this is evidenced by its inclusion on HE’s Heritage at Risk Register. The ambition of the project is to use the need to renovate the building as an opportunity to reflect on and consolidate its history, using it to interpret and equip the next stage of its life, celebrating its heritage and engaging new audiences.