New Parish Centre for Bangor Abbey
Bangor Abbey officially opened its Parish Centre on Saturday 21 January during a weekend of celebration involving local community and church representatives.
The Rector’s wife, Carole Nesbitt, cut the ribbon allowing guests to view premises which include two large halls, three smaller meeting rooms and a new conference facility along with upgraded kitchen and toilets. In keeping with the rich Christian heritage of the area, the accomodation has been named after Bangor saints: Comgall (main hall), Columbanus (new conference room), Gall and Malachy.
The work was initially prompted by a need for extra storage and improved access but further necessitated by a deterioration in the fabric of the building. The centre that emerged however, encompassed a wider vision to make much better use of the space available. The building was also physically turned to embrace the surrounding area as an expression of the church’s involvement and commitment to the local community.
Rector, Canon Ronnie Nesbitt, is delighted with the finished product, ‘It has gone far beyond my expectations and the Centre expresses in its openness and light the welcome we hope people will feel as they use it’.
The architect Nigel Barton of McAdam Design is a parishioner of the Abbey and was relieved as well as pleased with the reception the building has received from the congregation. The work was carried out by GEDA Construction in seven months, only a little longer than expected. Much of the delay was caused by archaeological finds on the site including sixty skeletons, a millstone, pottery and metal and leather goods, some dating to the first millennium.