Changing churches

Many of our best historic buildings have had changes over the years.
In St Mary's Church, Lowgate, for instance, it's possible to see where additional arches and galleries were added in Georgian times, only to be removed later.
Nearby Holy Trinity Church, in Trinity Square, was even used for stabling horses during the Civil War.
Nowadays, we might want to introduce modern facilities such as kitchens and toilets.
The key is thoughtful design, a thorough understanding of the building's history, and the use of good quality materials.
So it's particularly pleasing to see the way St John's Church, in Rosmead Street, has been brought back into use as a centre for community activities by the addition of a kitchen, meeting rooms and balcony in what was underused space.
Admittedly the building (pictured above) is not 'listed' and was only built in 1920, following the demolition of an older St John's church to make way for the Ferens Art Gallery.
The 'new' church had significant repairs in the 1950s after being bombed in the war, and the latest upgrade was carried out in 2004 when church members, residents, the council's Park Area Committee and the Gateway regeneration partnership managed to attract funding from a range of sources.
All credit to those people for their vision.