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St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey is an
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...
church dedicated to
St Mary Magdalen Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...
in Bermondsey in the London Borough of Southwark. The majority of the present building is late 17th century and is Grade II* listed. Its parish extends as far as the Thames (including the south tower of Tower Bridge,
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
and part of London Bridge station). The parishes of St Olave Tooley Street, St Luke Grange Road and St John Horsleydown have all been merged into it.


History

A church of this dedication is first recorded on this site in 1290, serving lay workers at
Bermondsey Abbey Bermondsey Abbey was an English Benedictine monastery. Most widely known as being founded in the 11th century, it had a precursor mentioned in the early eighth century, and was centred on what is now Bermondsey Square, the site of Bermond ...
. The design of that building is not known, but in 1680 the church was demolished and rebuilt, retaining the fifteenth century late medieval tower with a gothic window and arches. This rebuilding was completed in about 1690, and was followed by the addition of a north gallery in 1705 and a south gallery in 1794. The south gallery retains its complete original boxed pews but those in the north gallery have had their gates removed. Further alterations were made under the supervision of the architect George Porter in 1830.Philips 1841, p.54 He remodelled the tower and west end in an unacademic Gothic style and restored the medieval west window. The changes also involved removing the portico and school which extended into Bermondsey Street. The interior was redecorated in the
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style in 1852 and is described in a document which can be dated to 1865–1879 by reference to the then rector. In 1883 the chancel was lengthened and a new stained glass window was installed, as well as other "beautification". Surviving the Blitz, the west end interior was damaged by fire in 1971. The church was first rendered externally in 1829, and was most recently re-rendered in 1994. A detailed description is given in the volume of the
Victoria County History The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of E ...
covering the area, published in 1912. The church is now the oldest building in the locality, and the medieval arches are still visible inside the tower behind the organ (not normally accessible to the public). The original organ was installed in 1751 and replaced by J.W. Walker in 1851; three years later, that company re-used the earlier instrument at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Heytesbury, Wiltshire. Visible in the church are two fine carved stone capitals of medieval date, which were discovered locally in the early 20th century and passed to the church for safe-keeping. They are almost certainly parts of the structure of
Bermondsey Abbey Bermondsey Abbey was an English Benedictine monastery. Most widely known as being founded in the 11th century, it had a precursor mentioned in the early eighth century, and was centred on what is now Bermondsey Square, the site of Bermond ...
. The church also owns an item of medieval silver plate, called the Bermondsey Mazer, which is held in the care of the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, and is said to be the only surviving silver from the Abbey. The Parish Clerks has three qualifying clerks from the three merged parishes, but none have been appointed by the incumbent for many years. It is the guild church of the Bermondsey Tanners Company. The churchyard was closed for burials in 1854, in common with other London churchyards, being overcrowded and a thus health hazard. It contains a number of listed monuments, mostly tombs, notably that of the ancestors of
Charles Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident wit ...
, aviation pioneer and co-founder of Rolls-Royce. It is now in the care of Southwark Council, title having been passed to the Vestry of Bermondsey in 1882. All the older church registers are held by the London Metropolitan Archives. An inventory of the church ornaments and vestments was made in 1553, including "a painted cloth to hang before the Rood in Lent." A record was made of items sold during the
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, including "an old cope of red silk with roses of silver and gilt", the painting of Biblical verses in the church, and the renewal of the timber porch. Alfred John Kempe, ''Loseley Manuscripts'' (London, 1836), pp. 165-171.


References


External links


Parish homepageLondon Metropolitan Archives


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mary Magdalen Bermondsey Grade II* listed churches in London Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Southwark 17th-century Church of England church buildings Bermondsey Bermondsey