Our Lady of Grace, Cotgrave

Opened in 1990 to serve the needs of the parishioners of Cotgrave and the surrounding areas. We are a warm, active parish with a family atmosphere, we look forward to welcoming you.

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Our Lady of Grace, COTGRAVE

Cotgrave, although only a few miles southeast of Nottingham, retains something of a village character. Cotgrave colliery opened in 1964 and miners from all over the country moved to the area. To meet the needs of the Catholics among them, Fr John Gilroy CSSp.was appointed to the new Parish of Keyworth and Cotgrave in 1973. Initially, Mass was celebrated at the Miners’ Youth Centre[1]. The priest lived at Candleby Lane in the village. In 1976, a hut (formerly part of a school) was acquired from Newark and brought to Cotgrave where the first Mass was celebrated on 5 December of that year. But the hut church on Candleby Lane, referred to from 1980 as “The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary[2]”, was “small, draughty and dingy”[3]. In 1989, Bishop McGuinness gave permission to build a new church; and September 1990 saw the opening of this new church with the dedication changed to Our Lady of Grace. Cotgrave colliery closed in the 1990s.

Around this time the designation of the two centres changed. Hitherto, Keyworth had been seen as the parish centre and Cotgrave a Mass centre or chapel-of-ease. Then Cotgrave is given the main listing in the diocesan yearbook and Keyworth was served from Cotgrave as a chapel-of-ease. Currently – 2017 – Keyworth is served from East Leake and Cotgrave from West Bridgford[4].

[1]     e.g. YB 79/46
[2]     YB 81/41
[3]     YB 2016/187
[4]     The division of Keyworth from Cotgrave took place in September 2005 – information from Fr. P. Vellacott – April 2017

Church’s Archive – How Our Church Came To Be Built

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