The Quarry Theatre at St Luke's

The Quarry Theatre at St Luke’s has been created from a redundant 19thC Moravian church and 18thC Minister’s House to create a new performing arts centre for Bedford School and the local community. The location, facing the town at the front and the school grounds at the rear, emphasises the link between the school and the community but posed the interesting challenge of a building with two ‘front doors’. Historical research on the Moravian settlement in Bedford was followed by detailed discussions with conservation and planning officers to achieve consent for the remodelling of the Grade II listed building.

The theatre has been created by inserting a galleried structure into the original church space. The Minister’s House was restored to provide front of house facilities, offices and a studio, with the addition of a new foyer and backstage extension at the rear. The new foyer wraps around the semi-circular wall to the original chancel and a curved wall of glass provides views over the secluded gardens of the old churchyard.

New interventions combined with sympathetic repair of the original fabric have created a warm and welcoming public space, while giving new life to an important historic building.