Background and Details

Contents 

  1. History of St Catherine's 
  2. Background and Details
  3. Features of the Building
  4. Recent Changes 

All of this was a grand conclusion to the vision and project for the building of a large new church to replace the much smaller one which had previously stood near the same site.

The former church was a small red-brick building which had served the district since 1902. It could seat about 150 people, but the development of the Mile Cross housing setae from the mid-1920 had created the urgent need for a much larger building. By 1936 about 8,000 people were living on the estate.

The Bishop of Norwich launched a big appeal in the Norwich suburbs and St Catherine's parishioners began a fund-raising campaign. Then, in response to a request from the Bishop, a Miss Violet Edith Wills generously donated funds to cover the whole of the building project - for the church, the church hall and the vicarage.

Other people contributed many gifts for the church, including a sanctuary chair, an oak linen chest, linen cloths, a credence table, kneelers for the sanctuary and notice boards.

The Rev W Sinnett Davies had been appointed priest-in-charge of the old church in 1927. His successor at the new church was Rev F A Gillian.

In the publication produced to commemorate the consecration of the church, Rev Gillian and the two church wardens, W J Church and A A Thompson, formally expressed thanks to the architects, Caroe and Passmore, and to the builders, Thompsons of Peterborough."