The Past

The church has a long history going back over 1000 years. There have been several buildings on the current site during that time and the interior layout has been changed many times. Apart from the medieval tower the present building was built in the 1870s in a style and layout fashionable at the height of the Victorian era.

In the last few years we have carried out some extensive and costly repairs and improvements. The south facing roof of the nave has been completely renewed. Two large stained-glass windows have been releaded and the outside wall of the south transept has been repointed. In addition we have installed a new heating system.

Alterations have been made over the years, particularly around 1970 when an area at the back of the church was cleared of pews for social events and a moveable screen erected. In 1993 an extension to the Church Room next to the church was built for the Children's Church, other Church groups and the community. On this occasion £60,000 was raised by donations to pay for it. Now it is time to move on again. We believe the changes we are planning will make the church more welcoming and useful.

Plans for the future

Our plans fall into three parts:

1. The Entrance - COMPLETED!

We want to improve the entrance to the church and make it lighter and more welcoming. There will be changes to the entrance with more accessible steps, outer doors with glass panels and new inner doors opening into a welcome area in the transept. This area, at present used mainly by the younger children, is on the right as you enter the church through the inner door. A more appropriate children's area will be provided near the belfry.

2. A Nave Altar

There will be a new moveable altar on a platform extending out from the chancel steps. The altar is the focus for worship and at the centre of the Holy Communion service. The present altar will remain but the new nave altar will be more visible to everyone in the church, creating a greater sense of participation and gatghering in fellowship around tha latar. A few of the existing pews will be removed and new seating provided around the altar. The platform will also be able to be used for concerts and drama.

3. The Organ

St Margaret's has a long musical tradition with an enthusiastic organist and choir. Our present organ is almost as old as the church and it has been adapted over the years. It is in need of considerable restoration and improvements. Instead of repairing it, we have purchased a magnificent instrument from a redundant church in Plymouth which will be a real asset to the church, its worship and to music-lovers for generations to come. A description of the new organ is displayed in the church. It is being stored in the south transept of the church until we have the funds to install it. We are also planning to take advantage of work to the organ to make use of the space above the vestry to create a parish office.

The Appeal

Obviously all this will cost money. Havinhg spent most of our reserves on essential repairs to the church we now need to appeal to the community of Topsham and beyond to donate the funds to make these plans a reality. We are conscious of the many demands on people's generosity and we have scaled down our polans to a minimum, but we do feel the people of Topsham deserve a vibrant, updated church and will be willing to make a significant contribution to what is probably the most outstanding building in the town. We believe that everyone who uses the Parish Church would like it to be worthy of our town in the 21st century.

We plan to do the work and the fund raising in three stages.

The first stage - the new entrance and welcome area - we would like to start as soon as possible. It will cost about £40,000.

The second stage - the nave altar platform and vestry alterations - we plan to start when we havef completed and paid for the first stage. The cost will be approximately £90,000.

The third stage - the organ - will be a separate project, with fund-raising for this running concurrently with that for stages one and two. Money has been coming into the organ fund over the last two years, but we will have a long way to go.

We need a further £70,000. By keeping funds for the organ separate from the other work, people can choose specifically to support the musical heritage of our church.

How you can help

Contributions may be in the form of a single gift or may be spread over one, two or more years. The best way to do this, if you pay Income Tax, is through Gift Aid. All you need to do is signe a Gift Aid declaration with your name and address and our treasurer will do the rest. It will not cost you any more, but the church will be able to reclaim the tax you paid on it; currently this increases your giving by 28%.

Please help us to add something to a very special part of our community life and something that will show how much we care about our church. We do need and value your interest and support.

For further details please contact:

Progress to date

April 2007

The new entrance and welcome area is now complete and was dedicated by the Bishop of Crediton on March 25th. There are some memorials still to be resited and some new furniture acquired for the welcome area, but the first stage of the project is now virtually finished and has been much admired.

We are now planning the next stage of the project and have decided to proceed with stage 3 (installing the new organ) before stage 2 (the nave altar). Detailed plans are being drawn up by the architect and the organ builder. We have already raised a considerable amount of money for the organ and should know soon exactly how much more we need.

December 2006

Building work on the new entrance and welcome area is almost complete and we will be using the new entrance at Christmas, though it probably won’t be fully furnished by then. The work should be completed early in the new year.

October 2006

After some delays due to the discovery of an old gas pipe, work is now proceeding well with the outline of the screen in place and some four tons of stone removed to make the new doorway into the church.

Our original hope that the work would be finished in October now seems over-optimistic and Christimas would appear to be a more realistic target.

The PCC is keen to process with stages 2 and 3 of the procect (the nave altar and the new organ) as soon as we have the funds to complete it all. The Funding Commitee would welcome any help in raising the money, especially from someone who has time to approach likely donors.

February 2006

Altogether, some £30,000 has now been raised for the re-ordering appeal and £29,000 for the organ. This includes money promised over the next three years and money to be reclaimed from the Inland Revenue. Some has already been spent on architect's fees and the purchase and removal of the new organ, but we believe we have enough to go ahead with the first stage of the plans (the new entrace and welcome area). These plans have now been approved by the Diocesan Advisory Committee and we hope we will soon be able to get estimates from contractors and see some action!