RENOVATION

THE VISION

We want to ensure the future of the French Protestant Church.

Its history and community rely on a thorough and phased renovation that will guarantee its survival for centuries to come. Our main objective is to put back the Church at the crossroad of its dual heritage, being at the same time the active place of worship of the London French speaking protestant communities and one of the key buildings of the Huguenot refuge. As the direct descendant of the first church of the strangers funded in 1550, it also makes the Soho church one of the oldest French landmark in London.

OUR PRIORITIES :

Oﬀering a modern, welcoming and secure environment for our congregation to pray, meet, share, volunteer and engage.
Opening our Church to the Soho community, local charities, historical societies and businesses with a perfect environment for events, conferences or meetings in a prime central and historical location
Sharing our wealth of history by providing greater access to our unique collection of rare books and manuscripts.

Support the RENOVATION

A SAD REALITY

Aﬀected by time, weather but also endless constructions around it (buildings, Crossrail), the building has many issues: leaks damaging the roofs, cracked stained glass, humidity creating inﬁltrations in the building’s terracotta walls and the original organ.

IT HAS STARTED !

Les travaux ont démarré à l'église protestante française de Londres

Coniston Ltd at work in the basement

The aim of the project is to completely renovate the outdated community space (236sqm) which has the potential to become a welcoming, flexible space for meetings, lectures, training, workshops and meals, in particular for a usage by our community and volunteer groups or general public events’ hire. We aim at allowing everyone, including older people and people with disabilities, to visit our premises and create equal and non-discriminatory opportunities to experience the heritage, history and range of events offered (arts, education, charity activities…).

The renovation will also help build our financial resilience by allowing us to rent out the church more often and help to provide the required capacity for charities and associations who need adequate space at much lower cost thanks to preferential access to our renovated rooms either for free or at discounted rates (subject to terms and conditions).

The work is being carried out in the community space as well as the nave by Coniston Ltd since June 17th and is planned to be completed by the end of the year.

The removal of masonry walls is underway and the space is already barely recognisable.

©EPFL, Damaged spine and binding

In parallel conservation of the Church’s books and archival collection is ongoing.

Based on the comprehensive conservation report done in February 2018 by the conservator Caroline Bendix, we have applied and have been awarded generous grants from the Fonds de soutien au tissu associatif des Français à l’étranger (STAFE), the French Huguenot Church of London Charitable Trust and the Société Genevoise en faveur des Protestants Disséminés.

It has allowed us to train a team of keen volunteers which are now embarking on the urgent restoration and preservation works.

The first tasks for which our volunteers got trained are: internal and external cleaning of the volumes, binding mending, setting up protective structures, detailed recording of each volume’s characteristics in a specifically developed data base.

The team has been at work since February on a long and painstaking process to identify the books which will need a more thorough studio restoration, and stabilise the others.

THEY SUPPORT US

The French Protestant Church of London is very grateful to its generous donors (individuals and foundations), for their support of the renovation plan of the Soho temple. We would like to thank them wholeheartedly.

Our donors

Major benefactor

Supported by City Bridge Trust, the funding arm of The City of London Corporation’s charity, Bridge House Estates (1035628)

Jacques Boissonnas

Guillaume Fonkenell

Bertrand Meunier

André-Pierre Visser

Benefactor

Terrévent Foundation and Eric de Turckheim

The French Huguenot Church of London Charitable Trust

Patron

Isabelle and Thierry Baudon

Ariane Braillard

Laurent and Marine Charbonnier

Ly Dumas

Fonds de soutien au tissu associatif des Français à l’étranger

Martin Harcourt Williams

Francis Lang

Amélie and Bruno Mourgue d’Algue

In loving memory of George and Yvette Orawski

Antoine and Carole de Saint Affrique

The Scaler foundation

Donor

Albane and Stephan Caron

Laurence Colchester

Dr Elizabeth Courtauld

Antoine and Eléonore Dresch

Anne and Denis Faure

The Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Thibault Lavergne and Wine Story

Bénédicte and Gilles Moëc-Fougier

Nicolas and Véronique Raynaud

Christine and Ulrich Sigwart

Société Genevoise en faveur des Protestants Disséminés

Isabelle and Olivier Wolf

Friend

Thibaut Adam

JR Asprey charitable foundation

Maartje Bonda

Tini Brodie

Reginald Carlier

Magali and Xavier Demierre

Stéphane and Cindy Desmarais

Sabine Duchemin

Pierre-Alexis and Sophie Dumas

Les Fauristes, Choir

Fabrice Gaussen

Catherine Giger

Lena and Jérôme Hadey

Cyrille Kabadjeu

Ghislain and Nelly Leugue

Cécile Monfort-Bidet

David John Montier

Marc and Sandrine Moraweck

Caroline-Laure and Guilhem Nègre

Notre Dame de France

The Lady Phillimore

Emmanuel Probst

Anne Roberts

Saint Patrick’s Church (Soho square)

Jean-Philippe Vernes

Ainsi que,

H. Adams, John Adamson, Irina Arnold, Stéphane Audran, Hélène Bamba, Richard Bancroft, Jesse Beaumont, Annette Bell, Luc Benjamin, Marie Brohl, Claire Bonniol, Céline Bordarier, Jean-Noël de Bouillane de Lacoste, Tim Bouquet, Peter Bourdillon, Véronique Brazier, Joannah Brear, James Brebner, Georgina Briody, Jennifer Butler, VG Butler, Manon Carbiener, Steve Carrie-Simon, Peter Caton, Bernard Cazenove, Barbara Cheroutre, Mathilde Chiesa, Communauté malgache (Malagasy community), Katleen Cook, Geneviève Cornevin-Ferrari, George Courtauld, John Critchley, Dr Katherine Danceney, Guilhem Darricau, Malcolm Debonnaire, Denis Desert, Carol and David Di Matteo, Elaine Du Lieu, Elisabeth Durand, Yvette Easton, JG Ellis, Hilary Evans, Laurence et Sébastien Fonlupt, JH and Isabelle Gaulard, Florence Giger, Mayeule Graff, Chantal Grand d’Esnon, David Griffiths, Colin Hadley, T.G.Hall, Leila Hamrat, Robert Hanrott, Mr and Mrs Patrick Herubel, P Houssemayne du Boulay, Peter Haynes, Robin Howells, Chris Howlett, Hywel Harris Hughes, Huguenot Society of Australia, Michel and Barbara Julien, Xavier Kreiss, Jean-Luc Laloe, James Larminie, Friends of Lambeth Palace Library, Fabien Lerède, Daniel and Françoise Levesque, Aino-Leena Levillain, Kemel Mabiala, Elisabeth Maddison, Peter Malindine, Harry Martineau, Victorine Martineau, Cédric Marx, François Masson, Brian Matier, Katrina Matthews, Moira Mifsud, Mc Intyre, Angèle and Gustave Monod, Lady Monson, David John Montier, Jean Murat, Sabri Nasr, Caroline Negrel-Russell, The Nugee foundation, Jeremy Ouvry, Rasa Owondault-Berre, Nicholas Page, Muriel Padolus, Martin Perkins, Fred Pink, Clive Radley, Claire and Luc Raynal, Catherine Rainey, Antony Ratcliff, Catherine Rawlinson, Brian Rice, Andrew Ritchie, Frédéric Roman, Clément and Hélène Salmon, Robert Scallon, Mrs Snowden, Société Féminine Française, Société d’Histoire du Protestantisme en Normandie, Blanche Tetmen, Laure Thomas, Geoffrey Treasure, Fiona Tremethick, Suzanne Trocmé, Maurice Vassié, Géraldine Visser, Richard Walker, Richard Wapp, Marcia Watson, The Weavers’ company, J. Young, Dorit Zak.

HOW TO DONATE

By Virgin Money Giving

By cheque : Please send your cheque payable to The French Protestant Church to ‘ Huguenot Church Appeal’ – French Protestant Church, 8-9 Soho Square, London W1D 3QD

Download the Gift Aid declaration

By transfer : Please quote the reference ‘appeal’ and your name.

Lloyds Bank – The French Protestant Church

Sort code 30-84-51 – Account number 32015160

IBAN: GB97 LOYD30845132015160 – BIC: LOYDGB21760