The text of the history section is from the Parish History, written by Des Keohane. The printed version is avaliable from the Church for £3.50, and may be requested by post, at extra cost for postage. Any amendments or additions are welcomed - please send by email to Fr Andrew

In !975 the Convent of Notre Dame, which had dominated the top end of Abington Street for over a hundred years, closed down.

Many girls from St. Gregory’s Parish had gone to school there.

A special Mass to mark the closure of Notre Dame was held in the Cathedral. The photograph shows some of the last staff and pupils.

The Notre Dame Association of former pupils holds regular meetings at St Gregory’s.

The closure coincided with a re-organisation of Northampton schools which saw the opening of Thomas Becket as an Upper School (11-18), the change in role of St. Mary’s High School which became St. Mary’s Middle School (9-13) whilst St. Gregory’s Primary School became a Lower School (5-9). St. Mary’s on the Mounts and St. Mary’s Clare Street closed and St. David’s Middle School and Good Shepherd Lower School opened in Kingsthorpe and St. Mary’s Lower School in Dallington. In 2006 another reorganisation saw the Middle Schools closed and the Lower Schools reverting to Primary Schools (5—11) and Thomas Becket becoming an 11—18 school.