The northeast of Norwich expanded rapidly after World War II, and St William’s Way was built as a northern arterial road. By the late 1960s, clergy at Saint George’s were saying Mass in a school for the growing number of Catholics living in this part of the parish. A Development Fund was established and the priest negotiated to buy a site sufficient for a church and junior school on Saint Williams Way.
he local authority (then Blofield and Flegg Rural District Council) had concerns for the quality of the new building and that the car park would look untidy from St William’s Way. Planning permission was finally given in 1970, with strict conditions about landscaping that cost the parish £7,000 on top of the construction cost of £17,000. On 8 February 1972 the Rt Revd Alan Clark, Bishop of Elmham, blessed the church and dedicated it to Our Lady Mother of God. The Eastern Daily Press report described the building as ‘simple, straightforward and adequate’. It is believed to have been erected under the direction of a parishioner, and no architect has been identified.
A red brick parish hall, with almost as big a footprint as the church, was added at right angles to the church in about 1980. Its main entrance was opposite the door to the church so they shared the porch and the new WC block and large kitchen.