Wollaton Park and Lenton Abbey Churches

"The Vicar, the Reverend R.J.R. Skipper, with courage, and rare foresight and statesmanship, is making every effort to solve the problems that confront the Church with regard to spiritual provision for the ever increasing population in the large area covered by the old Parish of Lenton".

Wollaton Park was purchased by the Corporation of Nottingham from the Willoughby family for £300,000 and part of the area was to be developed for housing (some to be sold privately, others to be rented by the Corporation to tenants) while the remainder of the parkland and lake was to be for the benefit of the citizens of Nottingham. (Bungalows initially cost £400 to buyers).

The Parish boundaries on the completion of these two housing estates stretched from the Drill Hall (top of Derby Road) west to Woodside Road, Lenton Abbey and north to south from Wollaton Road to Trent Side (Power Station). During the time that efforts were being made to raise large sums of money necessary for the building of permanent Churches in these two districts, a site was purchased at Lenton Abbey Estate by the Southwell Diocesan Board of Finance, on which a temporary hall was erected.

Mr. W.G. Player defrayed the cost of this structure, which he opened on 8th March 1930, dedicated by Dr. H. Moseley, Lord Bishop of Southwell. The Holy Table, a portable oak one, was the gift of Mr. J. Norris, while other gifts included one of 50 chairs by Mrs. Littlewood, 200 Hymn and Prayer books by Mrs. W.G. Player, Mr. C. Mony an organ and a solid brass cross for the Holy Table by Mr. Cyril Ball. An pulpit-lectern was made and presented by Mr. S.R. Edwards.

At this time a plot of land had been secured for a Church and Church Hall at Wollaton Park, again a gift of Mr. W.G. Player. St. Thomas's Church on Park Row, Nottingham, was being demolished at the time of the proposed buildings for Lenton Abbey and Wollaton Park, and the Bishop presented to the Vicar of Lenton the silver Communion Plate, consisting of a flagon, two patens, two cups and also an oak eagle lectern and font for use in one or other churches when erected. At first it was proposed, owing to the financial position with the Church extension in Lenton, to build and manage initially with just a Church hall at Wollaton Park, the same as had been the case at Lenton Abbey, but again thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Mr. W.G. Player it was possible to go ahead with the building of a church, Church hall and curate's house.

It was on Saturday, 24th July 1937, we (the combined choirs of the Parish and Priory Churches) were to witness possibly something that no Bishop has done before or likely to again; that is, to lay the foundation stones of two Churches in one Parish in one day. The first ceremony was on the site of St. Mary's, Wollaton Park, and present was the Bishop of Southwell, the benevolent gentleman who was defraying the costs, W.G. Player Esquire, the Vicar of Lenton, Reverend R.J.R. Skipper, and many distinguished guests together with members of the congregations of the Parish.

After this ceremony, special transport conveyed all the invited members to the site at Lenton Abbey where a similar act by the Bishop, in the presence of another great benefactor, Sir Louis Pearson, took place. The dedication of the completed permanent church of St. Barnabas, by the Bishop, took place on 25th July 1938, while the dedication of St. Mary's Church was on 26th November 1938.

St. Barnabas Church was designed by the Nottingham architect Mr. T. Cecil Howitt, while John Cawley Limited (Builders of Canal Street, Nottingham) were entrusted with the building contract. Messrs. A.A. Lazzerini, Church Street, Lenton executed the fibrous plaster decorations. The design of St. Mary's Church was by the same architect, while the building construction was by the Lenton family firm of H. Butler & Son. It might be appropriate at this stage to mention the other Lenton family firm of builders and contractors, W.T. Norris & Sons Limited (which later became two separate companies). Although not involved in the construction of either of the new churches they gave very generously in the maintenance of the Parish Church and the schools. Both Mr. William and Mr. James Norris were staunch supporters of the Church and held office as Wardens and Sidesmen.

After the establishment of these two Churches, the vicar of Lenton, Reverend R.J.R. Skipper, became responsible for the administration of the Holy Trinity (Parish) Church and mother Church of the daughter Churches of St. Anthony (Priory), St. Mary's, St. Barnabas and Manfull Street Mission Hall. There was an assistant Curate with the Vicar at the Parish Church, a Curate-in-charge of each daughter Church, a Church Army sister and a Superintendent at the Manfull Street Mission Hall.

On July 25th 1955 the Church and District of St. Barnabas, Lenton Abbey, became an Ecclesiastical Area independent of the Parish of Lenton. On that day, in St. Barnabas Church, the Lord Bishop of Southwell licensed the Reverend Ronald Wilson, a former Curate in Lenton, as Priest-in-charge.
It was on Tuesday November 29th 1955 that St. Mary's Church, Wollaton Park, was made a Conventional District - the preliminary stage before becoming a separate Parish. Also on that day the Lord Bishop of Southwell licensed the Reverend E. Strickland M.A., as Priest-in-charge of St. Mary's Church, Wollaton Park.

Although the two Parishes of Lenton Abbey and Wollaton Park have not been joined together officially, the Vicar of St. Mary's, Wollaton Park, has administered both Churches with effect from 1977. At that time a Deaconess was appointed to assist at St. Barnabas Church.