Lighthouse Church in Heswall, completed in 2023, is nominated for a RIBA North West Award.
We collaborated closely with The Parish of Heswall to replace the outdated church and parish hall on the town’s high street. The church was conceived to rejuvenate the Christian presence in Heswall and foster a sense of community. The building’s extensive glazing invites passersby inside, establishing a new relationship with the streetscape and embracing the church congregation’s ethos of hospitality. The versatile space accommodates a wide range of events, including concerts, exhibitions, playgroups, youth activities, classes, counselling, and community support services. The new design features a simple, pitched volume inspired by ecclesiastical forms, with the worship area at its heart, illuminated by clerestory glazing.
shedkm Associate Darren Jones – project architect on Lighthouse Church – featured on BBC Merseyside speaking about the project. Listen here
Darren said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Lighthouse Church has been shortlisted for a RIBA North West Award. This is a really special project and one that grew out of detailed conversations with church members – experiencing first-hand their ethos of hospitality and community service, hearing their vision of being at the heart of the community and translating that into a building which engages with the high street and invites people in. As a local resident myself, it has been a delight to see the transformational impact the building has had on the church and the wider community already.”
RIBA North West Jury Chair Dominic Wilkinson, Principal Lecturer Liverpool John Moores University, said: “This year’s shortlist demonstrates the region’s ongoing ambition to create high quality architecture, with a strong selection of projects across a range of scales. Public buildings are well represented with a commitment to excellence which offers hope for the civic realm.
From small houses to large events venues, and from new builds to creative adaptation of historic structures, the shortlisted projects highlight a serious commitment to minimising carbon footprints and reducing the environmental impact of the construction sector, displaying the positive role architecture plays for both clients and the wider community.”
The RIBA North West Awards celebrate outstanding architectural achievements in the region, with the 2025 shortlist featuring seven projects, including the Lighthouse Church.
All projects shortlisted for RIBA Awards will be visited by a regional jury, and the winning projects will be announced later this spring. The winners will then be considered for several RIBA Special Awards, including the RIBA Sustainability Award and RIBA Building of the Year, before being considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award, which will be announced in summer.
This shortlisting follows the project’s earlier accolade of ‘Best New Build Project’ at the 2023 Merseyside Civic Design Awards.
