St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, is a Grade I listed

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church at Rowington Close, London, dedicated to Jesus' follower, Saint

Mary Magdalene 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 crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

. The parish was established in 1865 and work on the church started in 1867. Although complete in , a fire destroyed the brand new roof so the first Mass in the new building could not be celebrated until St Mary Magdalene's Day, 22 July 1873. The church was consecrated after completion of interior decoration on . The architect was

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccl ...

, and this church is considered to be his masterpiece. It includes notable stained glass by

Henry Holiday Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was an English Victorian painter of historical genre and landscapes, also a stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, many of whom he knew. ...

, Salviati mosaics, sculptures by Thomas Earp, a later crypt chapel by

Ninian Comper Sir John Ninian Comper (10 June 1864 – 22 December 1960) was a Scottish architect, one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival architects. His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishm ...

, and a War Memorial by

Martin Travers Howard Martin Otho Travers (19 February 1886 – 25 July 1948) was a leading English church artist and designer. Travers was born in Margate, Kent, educated at Tonbridge School, entered the Royal College of Art in 1904, and was awarded its Dipl ...

. The painted ceiling of the nave, the work of

Daniel Bell Daniel Bell (May 10, 1919 – January 25, 2011) was an American sociologist, writer, editor, and professor at Harvard University, best known for his contributions to the study of post-industrialism. He has been described as "one of the leading ...

, was cleaned and restored during 2018–19, with the help of a grant from the Lottery Heritage Fund. With assistance from the Paddington Development Trust, an extension was also built, containing additional spaces and facilities intended for use by the wider local community.

Cultural associations

St Mary Magdalene is thought to be the church that inspired the composer

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian-American actor and film director. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in New York City, he came to prominence with film audiences for his supporting roles i ...

to become an Anglo-Catholic. The novelist

Barbara Pym Barbara Mary Crampton Pym (2 June 1913 – 11 January 1980) was an English novelist. In the 1950s she published a series of social comedies, of which the best known are '' Excellent Women'' (1952) and '' A Glass of Blessings'' (1958). In 1977 ...

was a member of the congregation in 1971–72, while living in Queen's Park.

P. D. James Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuri ...

is thought to have used the church as a model for one of the locations in her novel '' A Taste for Death''. The church and surrounding neighbourhood were used as a location in the 1968 movie ''

Secret Ceremony ''Secret Ceremony'' is a 1968 British psychological horror thriller film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum. Based on the Argentine novel ''Ceremonia secreta'' by Marco Denevi, the film follows ...

'' with

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

. Scenes from the 2012 film of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' were also filmed there. File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, viewed from the south.jpg, St Mary Magdalene File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, The War Memorial Calvary.jpg, War Memorial by Martin Travers File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, View east down the nave 2.jpg, The nave with sculptures by Thomas Earp File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, chapel, organ with panels open.jpg, Chapel of St Sepulchre, organ File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, stained glass window, south wall.jpg, Stained glass by Henry Holiday File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, chancel (spherical projection).jpg, Chancel File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, nave ceiling, detail 3.jpg, Nave ceiling by Daniel Bell File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, Nave, mosaic of Last Supper.jpg, Salviati mosaic File:St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, chapel screen.jpg, Chapel of St Sepulchre by Sir Ninian Comper

References

External links

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Guide by Grand Junction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Magdalene Paddington Grade I listed churches in the City of Westminster 19th-century Church of England church buildings

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

Diocese of London Churches completed in 1873 1873 in London