Reader TTS

It is the 60th anniversary of arguably Surrey's one of most unique and special church; which, in many ways represents the strength a local community can be capable of when everyone

united with a common goal. In this instance, it was to build a church fit for worship and events for years to come. The church is not just famous for this however, as the then Bishop of

Guildford found himself making global headlines for his 'unholy' celebrations at a community event held on the site during the building's construction. It is fair to say,

sixty years on; the people across Guildford who were involved in this project were successful in this mission, as all the way in 2025 - the community surrounding the church still get

together every year to celebrate St Clare's Church, the community it hampers and the citizenry who built it. In the early 1960s, a piece of land in Park Barn, Guildford, at the junction

with Southway, Applegarth Avenue and Cabell Road had been set aside for the construction of a new church. Back then, while newspaper records suggest open-air services were held on the

Diocese of Guildford-owned land, records also show that at the time there was 'little hope' a church would be built on the last for another decade. Due to the lack of a local

dedicated place of worship, members of the local Parish decided it would be a good idea to begin fundraising for the construction of what would later become St Clare's Church. They

managed to strike a deal with Vicar Roy Trevivian and Bishop George Reindorp that they would offer free labour for construction if the parochial church council would partly fund the project.

By Autumn 1961, the building plans were in place and all the bricks for the project were ordered at cost price when a local firm became aware of the plans. Roy Trevivian even announced his

dedication to the labour, telling the Surrey Advertiser in September 1961; "There is no good standing around trying to look heavenly when there is an earthly job to be done".

"If those men are going to give their time to help us we should be willing to give some of our time to them." The Vicar added. Appeals for tradesmen were sent out across the area,

and even managed to attract the volunteership of those who considered themselves members of the Catholic church. Sheila Atkinson, a life-long resident of Park Barn recalled: "My mother

was a regular worshipper at St Francis church and when the appeal went out for tradesmen she told my father (John 'Geordie' Brown). To begin with, my father was hesitant as he was

baptised Roman Catholic, eventually he agreed to help. Being a secretary of the local Union of Building Trade Workers, he appealed for the help of his fellow unionists; and several members

got involved." The project was quite sizable, and records suggest dozens of men and woman gave up their weekends off work to help with the construction. The dedication of the community

was particularly highlighted on one hot summers day in 1962, when the firm supplying the bricks was set to deliver 3,000 bricks to the site ten days in a row. It was soon realised that many

of the volunteer tradesmen would be at their day jobs during this time - but - to their rescue came the woman of Park Barn who stepped in to get the job done; with records suggesting they

did a "splendid job". That same summer, the Bishop of Guildford George Reindorp found himself in some 'hot water' when he was pictured in the Surrey Advertiser doing the

twist at a parish barbeque on the construction site. For this time, this was seen by some as undignified for a Vicar to be "dancing the night away", and the story even manged to go

somewhat global. According to 'The Building of St Clare's Church' by David Rose; soon the picture had been circulated around the world, with a Russian newspaper describing

the Mr Reindorp as the "decadent bishop", while an Australian magazine called him a "rock-and-roller". By 1963, work on the church became more technical and required the

touch of a professional. This was once again provided by tradesmen of the area who, despite not necessarily being religious themselves - saw the project's significance for the Park Barn

area. Palm Sunday in March 1964 is seen as one of the most eventful days in the church's history, with television company ATV, which is part of the ITV network came to broadcast a

communion service at the site live on air to celebrate the idea of a DIY church being built by local volunteers. Just a month later, the project was covered by the BBC, with a number of

volunteer tradesmen, including Mrs Atkinson's father John 'Geordie', were pictured to feature in the late night programme 'The Epilogue'. Following even more media

coverage; the church construction progressed slowly. Upon completion, records suggest the entire St Clare's Church project costed £8,802; a cost which is considered considerably lower

than it would have had the community not offered their services. On Friday, May 28, St Clare's Church and Hall was dedicated by the then Bishop of Guildford, Rev'd George Reindorp,

allowing the building to officially be determined as a place of worship. With the first Sunday service in the church coming just two days later; something which has continued at St

Clare's in the sixty years since. In the current day, the Park Barn place of worship is still an important part of the Guildford community. The building is the home of the North

Guildford food bank, which supports those in need across the town. And, each year, the Parish hosts a celebration of the church's construction, and the dedicated community which

sacrificed their time and money to see it come to life. This year's celebration, which marked sixty years since it's opening, saw crowds of families visit the church to play in the

green space outside, enjoy complimentary drinks and snacks, and learn about the unique history of St Clare's.