Martin Village Hall is a historic community facility at the heart of village life in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire. Originally built as a Wesleyan Chapel in 1860, the building now hosts a wide range of activities including music and dance events, baby and toddler groups, bingo nights, book clubs and seasonal shows throughout the year.
Creating a Flexible Community Kitchen
Martin Village Hall is a historic community facility at the heart of village life in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire. Originally built as a Wesleyan Chapel in 1860, the building now hosts a wide range of activities including music and dance events, baby and toddler groups, bingo nights, book clubs and seasonal shows throughout the year.
The village hall was served by a dated domestic kitchen which increasingly limited its ability to cater for the wide range of events hosted throughout the year. Used by local groups, volunteers and hirers, the facility plays an important role within the community.
While suitable for basic refreshments, the existing kitchen facility lacked the flexibility, functionality and durability required to support larger events and functions within the ninety-seat venue.
Through a combination of fundraising and grant support, the village hall secured a budget for the project. KCM designed the new kitchen with these financial parameters in mind, creating a multi-use facility capable of supporting a wide range of events.
The limited available electrical supply was a key design consideration, with the layout and equipment selection carefully planned to ensure all operational requirements were met while keeping electrical loadings within acceptable limits.
Transforming a Domestic Kitchen
The existing kitchen was stripped out to form a shell ready for the new build. Due to height constraints within the former chapel building, the existing ceiling was retained. Electrical services were removed and re-run from the distribution board to suit the new layout, incorporating new lighting, emergency lighting and a central power pole rising through a carefully designed notched bench. Water and waste services were also stripped back, adapted and extended to support the revised kitchen arrangement, with careful routing ensuring a practical layout and clean, aesthetically pleasing finish.
To support the transition to a commercial-grade facility, KCM formed wall openings and installed the ventilation system. Hygienic HyRoc PVC cladding was installed to the walls alongside stainless-steel cladding behind the cooking equipment for heat protection. The flooring was upgraded with Altro non-slip safety flooring, creating a durable and easy-to-maintain working environment. Following a comprehensive clean-down, the kitchen was ready for equipment installation.
Equipping the Multi-Use Kitchen
Following completion of the building works, KCM moved on to the equipment installation. The cookline comprised a Lincat boiling top and convection ovens, alongside a Spidocook ceramic griddle and hot-holding facilities. The wash-up area featured a Sammic dishwasher with bespoke fabrication, supported by Sterling Pro refrigeration. A bespoke servery counter was fitted into the existing opening, while additional equipment included a Lincat wall-mounted boiler, knee-operated handwash basin, fly zapper and ample wall-mounted storage. Following a final clean-down, KCM completed client training and handover, leaving the village hall with a flexible, durable and easy-to-use kitchen capable of supporting its diverse programme of community events.
The kitchen is amazing and we were impressed from so many angles. The excellent way that you designed a kitchen from our brief and worked with our budget, the professional but friendly approach by your company as a whole, the high quality of workmanship, keeping to a tight programme and accommodating the endless stream of visits by our community, the attention to detail by all of your contractors, the dedication of the project manager in delivering the project. We could go on for ages!
Kevin Garner-Smith, Treasurer – Martin Village Hall
Kevin Garner-Smith, Treasurer – Martin Village Hall
The project required a meticulous design approach to balance the community’s functional needs with the strict financial parameters of their grant funding. My focus was on delivering a flexible, multi-use facility that maximized every penny, providing exceptional value for money without compromising on durability. It was essential to create a space that works just as well for simple tea and coffee mornings as it does for full three-course meals during seasonal shows … we delivered a high-specification kitchen tailored to their diverse event schedule.
Steve Shepherd, Project Sales – KCM
Steve Shepherd, Project Sales – KCM
