St Leonard’s Church on Lincoln Road was built to replace the former church of St Leonard’s, Northgate.
The new church, designed by the architect Gordon Smith, was dedicated by the Bishop of Southwell on 5 November 1978. Built in light coloured brick the church contains a nave, north and south aisles, chancel, vestry, porch and an interesting south bellcote construction with a single bell and cross. There is a long, angled row of south facing clerestory windows.
The War Memorial Plaque originally located in the vestry was relocated to the church entrance porch during 2007.
St Leonard’s Church is a modern building which is incorporated in a Community Centre and adjacent Vicarage on Lincoln Road, Newark. This was built in 1978 to replace a Victorian church, of the same name, on Northgate which is now (2016) the site of a retail store. Behind this store is the original School/Community Centre and adjacent is a former vicarage.
Both Old and New St Leonards were built in their contemporary locations to serve the local community as Newark progressively grew north-east along the Fosse Way towards Lincoln. The name is linked to St Leonard’s Hospital which was originally built in the same area, then outside the town walls of Newark, by Bishop Alexander of Lincoln (1123-1148), at the same time that he built Newark Castle.
The present church is integrated within the Bridge Community Centre and was designed by Newark and Sherwood Council’s Architects Department; the whole was built at a cost of £100,000. It was designed to seat 40 worshippers on modern stacking chairs. A folding screen at the back of the church can be opened to incorporate the church with the main community hall to accommodate a further 200.
For more detailed information visit the Southwell and Nottingham Church History Project here