When St John's was first built, it was probably the only stone building in the parish. As well as being the home of the community's worship, it would have been used in a great variety of ways, and the furnishing of the building would have reflected this variety.

In the 1850's the Victorians completely refurnished the church, giving it the singular theme that we see today, deliberately setting it aside for one purpose, namely congregational worship.

The progress of time has now taken us around the circle and, once again, we are looking to open up our church building as a resource for the wider community of Hillingdon.

This broader vision for our mission requires that we re-equip the building to serve a variety of uses in addition to Sunday worship.

The North Transept

We plan to screen off he back part of this transept and set it aside as a storage area. It is essential to have secure storage of valuable items if we are to keep the church building open during the week.

In front of this oak screen will be a new toddlers area, with a carpet for children to play on and room for buggies.The pews beside the piano will be replaced by chairs, providing flexible seating for musicians, and making space for the St John's singers.

The South Transept

We plan to replace these pews with movable chairs and carpet the floor. This will provide improved access for those using wheelchairs. The area will be used for informal services, meetings, discussions and teaching events.

It will also provide a flexible environment for children's clubs and other activities during the week. The chairs will be placed in formal rows for traditional services and those with large congregations.

The South Aisle

We plan to use this part of the building as a hospitality area, with a discrete facility for making light refreshments, and tables and chairs at which people can meet together. This facility will be used at three points during the Sunday morning worship programme and will be a centrepiece of our Open Church outreach during the week.

Visual display

We are considering installing a system of screens and projectors that can be used for displaying words and images during services. This will significantly increase visibility at special services, and will be a great asset in this television age.