Southwell Civic Society is a registered charity engaged in actively promoting high standards of planning and architecture in and around the historic town of Southwell. It fights to safeguard existing buildings of merit from demolition or neglect whilst celebrating well-designed new buildings and extensions. The Society is committed to stimulating public interest in the built environment within the town and the surrounding countryside.

The Society organises a regular series of social events, talks and visits. Many of these extremely popular events are free of charge to our members.

Civic Awards are held every three years or so. These are organised by the Society in partnership with Southwell Town Council and Newark and Sherwood District Council, with whom we maintain close links.

The Civic Society is the custodian of a photographic archive “Southwell Caught in Time”. About three thousand digitised images, dating from the 19th to the 21st century, provide a magnificent record of Southwell, its people, and their activities.

The Society is the publisher of the renowned book ‘Southwell – A History Walk’ by Betty Arundel. This book, whilst indispensable to those taking their first stroll around the town, has a wealth of carefully researched detail that also makes it an essential reference to those who are more familiar with Southwell.

The Southwell Civic Society planning committee meets every two or three weeks or so, depending on the number of planning applications for Southwell Parish lodged with the Newark and Sherwood District Council. When returning our consultations to the District Council we try to give useful and constructive criticism, as well as deciding whether to support or object to proposals contained in each application. Experience shows that we support the majority of the proposals in the applications.

We believe that Southwell, a cathedral town in a rural backwater, is quite unique. For more than a thousand years it occupied an important place in ecclesiastical affairs, but without coal reserves or water power and a poor road and rail infrastructure the Industrial Revolution left it relatively unscathed. Development after the Second World War, whilst increasing the size of the town, was tempered by open spaces and the survival of a number of the larger gardens. Many of the attractions of village life, whilst benefiting from the amenities often associated with much larger towns, allow the character of Southwell to be maintained. If you agree that this is a special town that should be encouraged to grow and flourish whilst retaining its unique character, why not join the Southwell Civic Society? The Society extends a warm welcome to new members who are interested in supporting our efforts to protect and enhance the built environment in and around this gem of a Town.

The Society is a member of the recently formed Civic Voice, which has replaced the Civic Trust which was the umbrella body for 850 Civic Societies across the country, promoting thriving towns and villages by encouraging dynamic partnerships between communities, government and business to deliver regeneration and local improvement. You can view the Civic Voice website on our Useful links tab. We are also a member of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, an organisation that seeks to help people to protect their local countryside from threat and to keep it beautiful, productive and enjoyable for everyone.