St Mary Magdalene Church is one of Hope Church Islington's places of worship, 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 th ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Holloway Road Holloway Road is a road in London, in length. It is one of the main shopping streets in North London, and carries the A1 road as it passes through Holloway, in the London Borough of Islington. The road starts in Archway, near Archway Under ...

in north

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

dedicated to Jesus' companion

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 cru ...

. It is located in St Mary Magdalene Gardens opposite Islington Central Library. St Mary Magdalene is part of the Parish of Hope Church Islington (previously the Parish of St Mary Magdalene and St David). In 2013 its sister church St David's on Westbourne road was reopened so St Mary Magdalene now functions as one of two worship sites of the Parish, with a single leadership and a staff team. The early 19th century building accommodates the activities of the church congregation, including church services, a winter night shelter, 'Mini Mags' – a toddlers group, and provides spaces to other users. Baptisms and confirmations, marriages and funerals are regularly held here. The building and its iron railings are both

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

structures, having first been listed in 1954.

Congregation

The church has traditionally belonged in the evangelical stream of the Church of England. More recently it has become more closely associated with a charismatic evangelical approach to worship, informal other than at the 9am service which is robed. There are good ties with other churches in the Deanery, especially St Mark's Tollington and Christ Church Highbury. There is also a strong relationship with Holy Trinity Brompton and related churches. St Mary Magdalene is a certified Fairtrade church. Since November 2013 the congregation of Hope Church Islington has expanded into three sites - St Mary Magdalene on Holloway Road and St David's on Westbourne Road (meeting for 4 services every Sunday) and the Nags Head Church Community (meeting at Costa Coffee at the Nags Head on Wednesday evenings at 7). There is also a Tuesday morning service at 09:45 in termite for toddlers with their parents and carers, at St Mary Magdalene.

History

Building & Gardens: The church was built in 1814 to a design by William Wickings as a chapel of ease to the parish church of St. Mary's farther south on Upper Street. It became a parish church in its own right in 1894. A typical

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

six-bay brick box with three tiers of small windows, the lowest to the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

. The bell tower at the south of the building is square and houses eight bells, cast by John Warner and Son at their Spitalfields foundry in 1875. The bells are a “maiden” ring (they have never been re-tuned or altered in any way). Inside, the interior retains its galleries on three sides supported by Tuscan columns. Originally horse shoe-shaped these were converted to a rectangular plan when the furnishings were altered in 1894–5. Most of this work was undone in 1983, when the choir stalls and

pew A pew () is a long bench (furniture), bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating Member (local church), members of a Church (congregation), congregation or choir in a Church (building), church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom. Overview ...

s were removed and meeting rooms were built under the galleries. The church gardens are the church's old burial ground, which was opened to the public at the end of the 19th century, and now is a space appreciated by many for its recreational amenity.

Music

Music is led by vocalists and a band at the 11am service and is contemporary. The 9am service's music is led from the piano and features well-known hymns. There are occasional lunch-time or evening concerts, advertised on the church's website. St. Mary Magdalene is home to a fine three-manual organ by

George Pike England George Pike England (ca.1765 – February 1815) was an English organ builder who was among the most prominent in England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Life He was the son of organ builder George England and Mary Blasdale. He ...

, slightly modified by the famous London firms of Henry Willis & Sons and N. P. Mander.

Henry Willis Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...

himself was organist here for nearly thirty years. The organ is not in use (2009) as only about a third of its pipes are working.

Sunday services

Hope Church at St Mary Magdalene conducts two church services every Sunday: a 9am service of

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

and a more contemporary informal service at 11am. Hope Church at St David has a 10:30 am service with children's groups and a 5pm service with extended worship. In addition, the parish runs regular prayer meetings, bible study and discussion groups, and two Alpha courses three times a year (next one starting 26 January at 7pm at St Mary Magdalene).

Additional activities

The church's activities and ministries include: * A Little Hope – a Parenting support group, Term time on Mondays 10–11:30 * Bellringers – regularly ring the church bells (practices on Wednesdays at 7–9pm; ringing at 10–11am Sundays) In addition, St Mary Magdalene is closely associated with the

St Mary Magdalene Academy St Mary Magdalene Academy is an academy on Liverpool Road Liverpool Road is a street in Islington, North London. It covers a distance of between Islington High Street and Holloway Road, running roughly parallel to Upper Street through the ...

on Liverpool Road. Hope Church Islington is in the Deanery of Islington, in the Diocese of London (Stepney Episcopal Area).

References

External links

Parish website

St Mary Magdalene Academy website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Magdalene Church, Holloway Road Churches completed in 1814 19th-century Church of England church buildings Church of England church buildings in the London Borough of Islington Diocese of London Holy Trinity Brompton plants