The former car park at Wat Phra Singh UK is now transforming into the Ubosot Hall—set to become the third of its kind in the UK. Designed in the Northern Thai architectural style, the hall will complement the recently completed Peace Garden and serve as a spiritual and cultural landmark for both the temple and the wider Runcorn community.
In recent weeks, the main foundations were cast following the traditional Suad Thon blessing in March, during which monks blessed the grounds to appease the spirits believed to inhabit the land. This ceremony marked the creation of the central Sima Stone chamber. The sima, originally a standing stone marker, defines the sacred space within the Ubosot Hall where ordinations and other significant Buddhist ceremonies are held.
With the foundations complete, brickwork is now underway to form the shuttering for the concrete flooring. Once the floor is laid, passersby will begin to see the steel framework being erected.
As part of Thai Theravada Buddhist tradition, a Si Ra Reuk box—or reliquary—was placed in the ground beneath the future location of the main Buddha statue. This box was the central feature in a Si Ra Reuk ceremony that was held in 2017, attended by 39 monks from around the world and 500 supporters. Filled with items of personal significance and blessed by the most senior monk, the box was sealed and stored until it could be placed beneath the statue. The etched Si Ra Reuk tablet, adorned with Buddhist symbols, now the top of the reliquary box.
This tradition mirrors the ceremony held last year for the Chedi statue in the Peace Garden. The main Buddha statue, a 2-tonne bronze replica of Phra Sihing—Northern Thailand’s most revered Buddha image—was cast last year and shipped to the UK along with the 6-metre-tall Chedi that is now in the completed peace garden. The Phra Sihing statue will be the main Buddha image in the new hall.
Meanwhile, the temple has received two Yakh statues from Thailand. These guardian figures, symbolic protectors of nature’s power in Buddhism, will be mounted on new gateposts to stand watch over the temple.
Once completed, the Ubosot Hall will be open for community use. Local groups, including an art class and the Women’s Institute, have already expressed interest. The hall will also be registered as part of the council’s emergency resilience planning, offering temporary shelter during events such as severe storms, gas leaks, or flooding.
This project has been made possible through funding from the FCC Communities Foundation and is one of 15 strands under Reconnecting Runcorn, which received £23.6 million in 2021 from the UK Government’s Towns Fund as part of the Town Deals Programme.
Keep an eye on the site as construction continues—bringing the new Ubosot Hall to life.