St Gregory the Great Roman Catholic church at Alresford by Melhuish, Wright and Evans

Manplan 5 was originally published in March 1970, and was republished online in May 2016. Read the full piece on church design here

The Roman Catholic Church of St. Gregory the Great at Alresford (architects Melhuish, Wright and Evans), like St Joseph’s (but unlike most churches which come after) has illuminated interior surfaces. These are lit by a clerestorey which is hidden, inside, by the concrete ring beam supporting the roof, and outside by a projecting eaves. The sanctuary, instead of being confined essentially to one end, passes down the central axis of the church, making a sort of ‘operational space’. The greater part of the congregation therefore sits at the sides. This arrangement works well in a small church, but worries preachers in a large one as they don’t know which way to turn.