Parish History

History: Our Lady of Victories, Southwell with St. Anthony’s, Calverton

An entry in the Nottingham Diocesan Yearbook for 1962 reads:-

‘The post Reformation development of Southwell begins in 1948 when a Mass centre, served from Newark, was opened in the Women’s Institute, Queen Street. This was a beginning - but no more than a faint shadow of the glories of Catholic life once associated with Southwell Minster. Something more worthy became a possibility when a site for a chapel was given as a legacy to the Catholic community. This site is in a commanding position off the Halam road with a fair prospect over a shallow wooded valley. Messrs. Reynolds and Scott were commissioned to draw up plans for a chapel and the contract for building was given to J.E.B. Wheatley of Kirkby-in-Ashfield. The foundation stone was laid by His Lordship Bishop Edward Ellis on Saturday, 7th. October, 1961. It is designed to seat a congregation of 200 and is to be dedicated to Our Lady of Victories.’

			The new church was constructed of modern materials to express the spirit of Pointed Architecture with laminated wood stanchions used to carry the high pitched roof and stone pillars infilled with brickwork. Emphasis is given to the sanctuary by a slightly curved rear wall of natural stone. Finished it actually seats about 180 and with furnishings cost about £17,500. Initially the new chapel was served by priests from Newark Parish Church, and indeed the original idea for its construction had come from Canon J.B. Farmer, the then parish priest there, who, unfortunately was to die just two weeks after the Blessing and Opening ceremony on July 12th, 1962. Soon however a new parish area was created which took in part of the Holy Trinty, Newark and the Good Shepherd, Woodborough parishes, and Our Lady of Victories became a parish church in its own right.



			The church of St. Anthony at Calverton, housed at that time in an old prefabricated building erected in 1945, was included in the ‘new’ parish.

			It was only in 1992, as a result of Fr. Keith Frisby’s initiative, that plans were made to build a new church, on the existing site, that would have a dual religious and social use. The design was undertaken by Marshall Architects of Nottingham and is to a triangular plan with the roof supported by three large Douglas Fir Queen Post Trusses decreasing in height towards the altar. Fair faced brickwork is used internally with natural pine for all joinery and the boarded roof. This new church, dedicated to St. Anthony, was completed in 1993 and solemnly Blessed and Opened by Bishop James McGuinness on December 15th, 1993.




					In 1997 an internal narthax (entrance lobby) together with organ and choir loft was added to Our Lady of Victories church whilst, at the same time, plans were being developed, for what was eventually to become a circular and lofty Parish Centre, to be built and connected directly to the church. This major development was Opened and Blessed by Bishop McGuinness on October 29th, 1999. It has added greatly to the further development of the community life of the parish. Both developments were again designed by Marshall Architects of Nottingham and, together with St. Anthony’s church, represent a lasting and tangible tribute to the foresight of our parish priest, Fr. Keith Frisby. At the present time the congregation numbers average around 130 at Our Lady of Victories and 90 at St. Anthony’s. Both congregations have an ‘all-age’ character and are drawn from many surrounding villages in addition to Southwell and Calverton.


The carved wooden figure of the Sacred Heart and Virgin and Child shown above were purchased as a result of a fundraising initiative by the children of the parish when Our Lady of Victories Church was furnished in 1962. The statue of Our Lady was brought back from the Vatican on our parish pilgrimage to Rome in 1997.

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