Lochee Trinity Project – Building Refurbishment
Lochee Parish Church is an impressive listed building situated at the west end of Lochee High Street. It was opened in 1871 to sit 1050 people in a traditional layout with wooden pews on the ground floor and in a gallery. It was funded by the Cox brothers of Camperdown Jute Works, who also funded the listed pipe organ and a bell cast with the names of the Cox brothers on it. The building is part of Lochee’s rich heritage, but in the 21st century it is no longer a building that meets the needs of the Church or the Lochee community.
Our vision for the future use of the Church building is illustrated in this diagram.
The Trinity project is an £855,000 capital project which will repair the building to ensure that the built heritage does not fall into disrepair, allowing it to be available for future generations. The story of Lochee and its churches will be told and celebrated within its walls.
Christian worship on Sundays will continue in both traditional and modern forms, making use of the pipe organ, a new audio visual system and a space where the congregation can sit on comfortable chairs or move around in the ground floor space cleared of pews.
The reordered space will provide Lochee with a new community venue, which along with the existing church hall, will provide a suite of three spaces of various sizes which will be suitable for events, meetings, activity days, conferences and many more suggestions which have come from people who live and work in Lochee.
The Church welcomes everyone to services and to activities. Anyone can join in the activities that take place in the Church hall. The Church community cafe, The Drop Inn, opens twice a week to provide healthy food, fellowship, and advice on a range of subjects to anyone who drops in. Cooking classes are also offered regularly at the café. Adults can enjoy Ti Chi or carpet bowling sessions or an afternoon Summer Singalong, Church Guild or Ladies group Young people who want to be part of uniformed organisation have Boys’ Brigade, Girl’s Brigade, Rainbows and Brownies to choose from. Families can join monthly Messy Church to share crafts, games, fellowship, and food. Children are also welcome at the Summer Holiday Club. The Lochee Music Group and The Heart and Stroke Club also meet in the hall. Add to that the office for church staff, church meetings, private parties, and tea after church services – the hall is full to overflowing.
The Church building lies empty for most of the week. It is not suitable for many purposes. The Trinity Project aims to change that by bringing the building up to a modern standard where people will be welcome every day of the week and the building can serve the people of Lochee in many ways.
Take a look at our plans –
Click on the images for a larger photo
