It had taken 13 years from the purchase of the land to the opening of the church; years which had been dedicated to fund raising, led by Fr William Moser, priest in charge, who had been the first to realise the changing
needs of the Catholic population, initiating and taking charge of the project from
beginning to end. The site was purchased for the sum of £1,782 8s 4d and the architect Leonard Stokes was commissioned to design the building.
The builder was Henry Hammond, grandfather of Fr Ben Hammond, who was ordained at All Souls. The church was built over the old Abbey fishponds, with the structure being floated on a two and a half feet thick raft of concrete. The presence of underground water is evident today in the thriving willow tree in the garden.
The Church was decorated in Gothic style.The walls are over two feet thick and it is roofed with Collyweston tiles. The bell came from Longthorpe Parish Church.
In recent years, many changes have taken place at All Souls. Under the leadership of Fr David Bagstaff,
(parish priest 1993-2003) a parish centre was added in centenary year, 1996, with funds raised by the parish.
More recently, the Church interior has been redecorated and refurbished. The bell tower, which had become a somewhat dangerous structure in recent times, was restored.
All Souls today, set in a beautiful garden carefully tended by Bob Burrows, is peaceful place in the heart of the busy city. The willow tree continues to absorb excess water below ground and thus prevents the church from sinking into the pond, or so many people believe....