St William's Church, Wigan

Heritage Conversion & Affordable Housing

Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester

Sector: Heritage | Residential | Affordable Housing

Services: Conservation Architecture | Adaptive Reuse | Residential Development | Planning Applications | Heritage Consultancy

Year: 2025

As lead consultant, JWGS Associates was appointed to transform the redundant St William's Church in Ince, Wigan, into a vibrant, high-quality affordable housing development that preserves the building's architectural character while creating a sustainable new community.

The heritage-led scheme proposes the sensitive conversion and refurbishment of the former church into 10 contemporary apartments and duplexes, alongside the conversion of the adjoining Presbytery into three additional apartments. The wider masterplan also introduces 14 new family homes, providing a mix of one, two and three-bedroom properties that respond to local housing needs while respecting the site's historic significance.

With the church having stood vacant following declining congregation numbers, the project presented an opportunity to breathe new life into an important local landmark. Our design approach focused on retaining the building's defining architectural features, preserving its historic character and carefully integrating contemporary interventions that complement the original fabric. Although the church is not listed, it is recognised as a building of local architectural interest, making a sensitive conservation-led approach central to the design.

By combining conservation architecture, adaptive reuse and high-quality residential design, the development demonstrates how redundant heritage buildings can be successfully repurposed to create sustainable communities while safeguarding the architectural legacy of the area for future generations.

Award: Winner – Northern Housing Awards, Affordable Housing Development (Projects up to £10 million).