General 5 — St George's Catholic Church

St George’s Church on Sprowston Road in Norwich makes quite a statement. Standing proud as you travel up the hill towards the ring road, it is unmissable. Yet many people do not realise it is a Catholic Church - in large part due to its size and architecture.

Designed by Sebastian Comper, son of one of the leading proponents of Catholic revivalism, Sir Ninian Comper, the Church was built by a local firm, R G Carter and cost £76, 500 plus an additional £6, 000 for a parish hall. In 1966 the average house price was just £3, 840 and petrol was 5 shillings a gallon. The original estimate for the building had been £47, 575 and the work was supposed to be completed by December of 1963. As ever, with major building projects, it ran over time and over budget, opening on Wednesday 18 March 1964.

St George’s Church on Sprowston Road was opened on 18 March 1964 and consecrated on 24 May 1966. It is the spiritual home to Catholics and their families and friends in the north of the city and out into north Norfolk.

On an average Sunday, about 200 people celebrate Mass together.

From 1896, the parish had been centred around St George’s Church in Fishergate, a little closer to the city centre. With the urban expansion of Norwich in the 1950s, it soon became clear that this little church would be insufficient for the growing Catholic population in the north of Norwich. For a number of years, the possibility of taking over unused Anglican churches in the city was considered, but nothing ever came of these negotiations. In 1953 the parish set up a Development Association and began to look for sites to set up possibly another church and schools.

St George’s parish really took to the fundraising initiatives of the 1950s and especially the 1960s (with a local lottery game called ‘Turnip Tops’ still fondly remembered by parishioners) and it is remarkable that within two years of this magnificent building being opened, the parish had paid off the debt and it was able to be consecrated on 24 May 1966.

If you would like to find out more about the history of this building and the parish, we have a wonderful book written by parishioner and local historian, Fred Corbett, which you can buy from us for £10.00 (+p&p).