Next door to Bellingham Station in London, the Grade II Listed Fellowship Inn was a semi derelict pub that has recently been repurposed as a new cultural centre for the local community and beyond. Selectaglaze assisted the refurbishment with its secondary glazing to address the requirement for noise insulation.
Architect F.G. Newnham played a vital role in the construction of the Fellowship Inn in 1923. It was located on the Bellingham Housing Estate, South London, which was developed to easy inner city overcrowding after WWI. The pub, the first ever on a London housing estate formed part of the ‘Homes for Heroes’ development where soldiers and their families could socialise. It went to have many famous people through its doors with Sir Henry Cooper using it as a training base prior to his fight against Mohammad Ali in 1963. The Fellowship Inn has also provided a backdrop for performances by Eric Clapton and Fleetwood Mac.
Grade II Listed by Historic England in 2013, it is an example of a remarkably complete inter-war public house. Despite the Listing, parts of the building excluding the pub area fell into a state of disrepair but have been rescued thanks to, the Electric Star Group, Phoenix Community Housing and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Bellingham space relaunched in June 2019 as the ‘Fellowship and Star’ and functions as a pub, microbrewery, cinema, theatre and comedy venue, music hub and rehearsal area. Local charity ‘Lewisham Music’ is also based there, which provides after-school music tuition and rehearsals for the Borough’s schools on the first floor. The Fellowship Inn presents a range of social and community benefits, in support of Phoenix’s broader vision. This includes creating opportunities for local residents through apprenticeships, work placements and job opportunities, to deliver cultural experiences and support the regeneration of the local area.
A vast amount of work was needed to rejuvenate this dilapidated space and make it fit for purpose. The original crittal single glazed windows could not be changed due to conservation restrictions, so a solution had to be found to improve their acoustic efficiency.
Architect Thomas Ford and main contractor Ash Constructing contacted Selectaglaze, as an essential element of the works was to ensure a reduction of noise ingress and breakout from the building. High level insulation was required to block out the noise of the busy thoroughfare on Randlesdown Road to ensure film goers had an optimal experience and noise breakout had to be prevented from the events and music lessons held there so as not to disturb local residents.
A total of 32 units were installed throughout by Selectaglaze. In the main, the Series 15 horizontal mid-range slider was specified, it is a more robust but still slender framing sections allowing discreet treatments of larger windows. It can support thicker glass when higher levels of noise insulation are needed. It was well suited to treat windows in the performance venue on the ground floor, the rehearsal and music production rooms to ensure maximum noise insulation during recordings, rehearsals and performances.
The original curved windows in the cinema were treated with a combination of units: Series 15 horizontal sliders transom coupled to the Series 40 curved fixed light units. The Series 40 lends itself well to shaping and curving, so these were formed to create the top portion of the windows. This configuration of secondary glazing created full access to the primary windows for ventilation and maintenance.
Near to an external staircase serving as a fire escape, Series 40 fixed lights offering 30 mins fire integrity were installed to protect the route in the case of an emergency.
Jim Ripley, Chief Executive of Phoenix Community Housing which led the restoration project, said: “When we set out to restore the Fellowship, we wanted not only to save a historic landmark but to bring back a community venue. That meant making sure that it brought benefits to those who wanted to use it without disturbing the surrounding residents with loud noises. This secondary glazing means the Fellowship can do just that, enabling our community to enjoy one of Lewisham’s only cinemas, a large music and comedy venue, and to learn instruments – all while keeping noise to a minimum and maintain the Fellowship’s historic character for future generations.”
Selectaglaze secondary windows, can achieve a sound level reduction of 45dB, rising to more than 50dB if specialist acoustic glass is specified. The results are achieved through tightly engineered systems, high performance seals and an air gap between the windows of 100mm or more. It will also reduce heat loss and practically diminish draughts making spaces more comfortable and improving the energy performance of the building.
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