Battle-based construction company wins Sussex Heritage Trust Award

Parker & Son Construction won a prestigious award in the ecclesiastical category of this year’s Sussex Heritage Trust Awards.

The  company entered the recent extensive renovation and reordering of Rottingdean’s beautiful Grade II* Parish Church – St Margaret of Antioch.

After the awards were announced James Parker, Director of Parker and Son, said: “It’s great to be recognised with a Sussex Heritage Award. We do a lot of work on historic buildings and churches and having the work the team carried out at Rottingdean recognised in this way is a real honour. We’re extremely proud of what the team has achieved.”

The majority of the work involved installing underfloor heating and then replacing the rotting, wooden floor with Jura stone imported from Germany. The underfloor heating will assist the Church Council’s aim for St Margaret’s to become an ECO Church. The porch area floor has also been renewed with quarry tiles. 

The Parker & Son team worked with architects Thomas Ford & Partners, Jupiter Underfloor Heating, GB Tiling and Walco Electric who provided specialist services.

The Sussex Heritage Trust Awards is an annual event which celebrates excellence in conservation, restoration and design across East and West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

The Ecclesiastical Building Award, sponsored by Valley Builders, recognises high standards of architecture, craftsmanship and sustainability involving a restoration, repair, conversion or development scheme, which improves an existing or former ecclesiastical building whilst maintaining its ecclesiastical or consecrated status.

The awards were held at the Amex Stadium in Brighton on Wednesday 8th July. Despite it being one of the hottest days of the year, members of the Parker and Son team (Managing Director James Parker and Project Manager Rick Kirk) and Michael Maddox (Project Manager and a member of St Margaret’s Church) were suited and booted to attend the event and were well rewarded.

Following the award ceremony Michael said: “St Margaret’s Church is a building of great importance, a building that’s much loved in the community. To be able, together with Parker & Son, to ensure its continuation and preservation has been an enormous privilege.”

As part of the award scheme, every entry is visited by a team of judges. After their visit to St Margaret’s the judges commented: “The work followed an imaginative design which has resulted in a light, open and flexible space allowing the church to be used for a variety of purposes throughout the week as well as for Sunday Worship.

“A kitchen with movable island has been installed in the North aisle, and chairs have replaced pews. A ramp has been cleverly incorporated to allow wheelchair access to the chancel arch and altar. Underfloor heating has improved the temperature of the space and, although powered by the existing gas fired boiler, its specification will allow it to work with air source heat pumps at a later date. 

“The conservation of the stained glass and their sensitive cleaning has transformed the light and effect inside the church. There has been significant thought given to future proofing and the new electrical conduits and ducting have enabled a discrete and effective sound system and screen and will enable the new LED lighting to be installed in the near future. The combination of good quality materials, an excellent design and first class workmanship have ensured that the brief was more than met and makes this project worthy of a Sussex Heritage Award.”

Parker & Son employs a team of experienced and qualified tradesmen who can build, decorate and landscape to create your dream home. They work with structural engineers, surveyors, architects and planning consultants to either build from scratch or renovate your property. Parker & Son is also experienced when it comes to heritage buildings such as churches and those belonging to the National Trust.