St Michael The Archangel, West View, Letchworth Garden City, SG6

FOR CHURCH / COMMUNITY USE ONLY (NOT FOR RESIDENTIAL USE). A prominent town centre church building suitable for a variety of ecclesiastical/educational/community uses subject to planning and other consents.

The Church is a prominent structure, situated at the junction of Broadway and West View at the southern end of Broadway Gardens; the community and civic focus of the town of Letchworth. Arranged around Broadway Gardens are a number of civic and community buildings, including the Town Hall, the Library and the former Grammar School. The property is within some 600 metres of the mainline railway station.

The Church was built in the mid-1960s and designed by Laurence King, an architect known for his work in post-war church design. The building is decagonal in plan, with a central glazed lantern, topped by a short spire. It is built of brick around a steel and concrete framed structure. The roof is of copper sheeting. The Church building has been unused for some years and closed on safety grounds. Many of the Church s original interior features of interest remain in situ but the property is in need of repair and upgrading.

The Parish Hall which adjoins the Church site was constructed in circa 1977, and was designed by the same architect. This is also a brick building, but is only single storey. The Parish Hall s electricity supply is within the Church. The Parish Hall is closed to activities.

Between the Church and Parish Hall is a tarmacadam parking area with space to park about 12 vehicles. Vehicular access is taken from Broadway.

The overall size of the site, excluding the Parish Hall and car park and much of the frontage to Broadway Gardens, which falls outside the registered title, is some 0.176 hectare / 0.434 acre. Including the Parish Hall and car park the combined sites extend to some 0.308 hectare / 0.76 acre or thereabouts. On the attached plan the Church is shown edged red, the parking area edged orange and the Parish Hall edged blue.