This series is all about our work to renovate and restore St Barbara’s church, a Grade II listed church constructed in 1901 which sits on the Mindenhurst development site. It is a ‘tin tabernacle’ church meaning it is an iron structure that would have been assembled off site and exported to Deepcut. Tin Tabernacle churches were developed in the mid-19^th century and were typically formed of a corrugated iron structure – the first mass-produced external building material – and timber frame. Only 86 tin tabernacle churches remain and fewer than 20 are listed – St Barbara’s Church is one of them.

The ‘portable Garrison’ church was erected in Deepcut in 1901, shortly after the permanent military camps at Blackdown and Deepcut were established, and it is important that we recognise the history of the Mindenhurst site.

The church was originally called St Michael & All Angels, it was dedicated to St Barbara’s in 1967 in honour of the Patron Saint of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps following the closure of Hilsea Barracks in Portsmouth. Much of the property of St. Barbara’s in Hilsea was installed in the church – most of which remain in the Church today. It was designated a listed building in 1984.

We have to take extra care – and work alongside Surrey Heath Borough Council and the Ministry of Defence – over any changes we make to ensure we restore the building to its former self and secure it for future generations.

Before we started any work on the church, we boarded up the stained-glass windows to protect them from damage and removed the church spire, ready for scaffolding to be installed. The scaffolding was needed so the team could carry out external works to the building – ensuring the building is safe and secure in all weathers and allowing the team access to redecorate the exterior walls.

We’ll be sharing a little more about the renovation work in this blog over the coming weeks so check back soon!

Internal refurbishments

Our Senior Construction Manager, Carianne McIntosh, has been overseeing the internal and external refurbishment works at St Barbara’s Church, including the construction of a brand-new church hall.

St Barbara’s Church is a listed building, so we’ve got to be really careful and respect the history of the building both inside and out. During the renovation process, the Ministry of Defence has been removing flags and regimental memorabilia for archiving and display in Worthy Down museum. Religious artifacts have also been removed whilst renovation works take place, however they will be reinstated at the church once work is complete.

To prepare for the internal refurbishment of the church, Carianne has been helping the Ministry of Defence carefully remove the army memorabilia and flags. Carianne has prepared a plan which makes sure works are of a good quality so that maintenance costs are minimised, and we create a space which is suitable and safe for the community to use in the future.

1. The team is making good progress on the construction of the Loop Road and Brunswick Road (on the barracks). The team has been busy installing drainage, building the new road, and creating new footpaths.

2. We will continue removing the scaffolding around St. Barbara’s Church now that the external refurbishment and redecoration works are complete. The team will also begin decorating the South facing wall once the scaffolding has been removed as this area
is not accessible whilst the scaffolding is in place. We will then reinstall the church spire.

3. We will continue work on the new footpaths in the Central SANGs – inside the fence line – and the Blackdown ANGST. There may be additional traffic around the Officers Mess on Blackdown Road to facilitate the delivery of materials.

4. Highways improvement works will continue on the DIO Roads (Newfoundland, Union, and Canada Roads). This includes installing new surface water drainage, creating new footpaths, and the road build-up. We will keep you informed of any work taking place around your home.

🌳 Landscaping maintenance works around the Village Green, Mindenhurst Road and the Central SANGS are ongoing.

5. Works – such as clearance and demolition – to prepare the land for the future Southern SANGs will get underway. This includes landscaping works to the southern sustainable urban drainage system along the Frimley Lock Cycle Path.

I’m Carianne and I have been the Senior Construction Manager at Mindenhurst for 3 years, this means I am responsible for planning and managing each stage of the project and making sure the works are completed safely, to a good quality, within budget and on time.

This includes organising the programme of works and the workforce, overseeing the delivery of the project, coordinating with the commercial team and evaluating each stage so we can make changes as we go.

I’ll be sharing a little more about my work in this blog over the coming weeks so check back soon!

As well as delivering a high-quality and sustainable new development, I have to prioritise the people who put their effort and energy into providing these facilities for the Mindenhurst community. The most important part of my day-to-day job is looking after the wellbeing of the workforce, making sure they go home safely and not in ill health or ill mental health.

This means I plan and approve safe methods of work, ensure that plant and work equipment is compliant and safe to use, that work facilities and welfare are to a high standard and check areas before works commence to make sure risks are controlled like finding of asbestos, UXO and live services.

I make sure that all operatives feel empowered to raise health and safety and mental health concerns and make sure that everyone feels supported at work. We do not take inherent risks on site as going home safely to our families and friends is essential.

Logistics is a major part of my role as Mindenhurst’s Construction Manager. It involves planning the sequence of works to support the development progress, delivering facilities in time for the community to use them whilst minimising the impact on the community.

With my logistics hat on, I am always looking for innovative ways to speed up the programme without losing out on quality, safety or cost. This includes finding different ways to demolish buildings so that materials can be reused, reducing the amount of waste being removed from site and helping to prevent additional traffic on roads.