The Church of St Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, England. It is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and is the tallest structure in the town. There has been a church on this site for 1,000 years. The present church is built in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style, with parts dating from the 12th century. St Mary Magdalene's is one of the largest parish churches in England and is regarded as one of the finest. It is a

Grade I listed building 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 ...

. St Mary Magdalene's is an active parish church, with nine services per week and serving the community with youth and children's programmes. The church has a ring of bells, fine organ and a choir founded in 1532. In his 2009 book ''England's Thousand Best Churches'', Simon Jenkins awards the church four stars, saying: "Built over the two centuries of

Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It ca ...

ascendancy after the Black Death, it piles high above its constricted urban site. A style so often dull is here exhilarating, the vistas mystic, the furnishings rich... The Nave is a wonder of proportion.

Pevsner Pevsner or Pevzner is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aihud Pevsner (1925–2018), American physicist * Antoine Pevsner (1886–1962), Russian sculptor, brother of Naum Gabo * David Pevsner, American actor, singer, da ...

attributes this to the old Decorated plan, giving the aisles breadth, while the later masons added height."

History

The present church is the third on this site.Pask, B. M. (1995), ''The Parish Church of St, Mary Magdalene'', The District Church Council of The Parish Church of St, Mary Magdalene, Newark, In about 1180 the church was substantially rebuilt, with a crypt that still exists. The piers of the crossing, and the west tower date from circa 1220, with the spire being about 100 years later. The greater part of the church- the nave with its aisles and clerestory, and the chancel are 15th century, with transepts and chapels added in the early 16th century. The mid 19th century saw a thorough restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and further restoration was made in the 20th century by Sir

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 architects. His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishment of churches, and the de ...

and others.

Architecture

The Church of St Mary Magdalene, Newark, is a large

church, with aisled and clerestoried nave and chancel, transepts, and a single tower topped by a spire, at the western end. On the south side is a two-storey porch with a library over it. There is a vestry to the side of the south chancel aisle. The exterior has crenellated parapets, except, on the south aisle, where the west end terminates in a large gable and is set with a tall window, making the west front asymmetrical. The material is ashlar masonry.

Tower

The west tower, rises at the end of the nave, framed by the ends of the aisles. It dates from about 1220, and is in the

Early English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ...

style, with simple lancet openings and arcading but set with a later large window with

tracery. The tower is 115 feet (35 metres) high, topped by a tall, octagonal spire some 117 feet high, making a total height of 232 feet (71 metres) to the base of the weathervane. There is a visible hole in the spire which is claimed to have been made by a

musket ball A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually di ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The tower holds a peal of ten bells by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...

of Loughborough dates from 1842. The tenor is in C at 533.5 Hz and weighs 31cwt, 1qr, 11 lb (). For many years the clock in the tower of St Mary Magdalene's was the only chronicler of hours in the town with the exception of one at Nicholson's foundry. By the end of the 19th century it was erratic, and a new clock was gifted by the Mayor, Alderman B. Tidd Pratt, and set going on 14 July 1898. It has three diameter and one diameter dials and a mechanism by Joyce of Whitchurch, dated 1898. It sounds

Westminster Quarters The Westminster Quarters, from its use at the Palace of Westminster, is a melody used by a set of four quarter bells to mark each quarter-hour. It is also known as the Westminster Chimes, Cambridge Quarters or Cambridge Chimes from its place of ...

. It was converted to electrical power in 1971 by Smith of Derby.

Interior

The central piers remain from the previous church, dating from the 11th or 12th century. The upper parts of the tower and spire were completed about 1350; the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

dates from between 1384 and 1393, and the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

from 1489. The sanctuary is bounded on the south and north by two chantry chapels, the former of which has on one of its panels a remarkable painting from the Dance of Death. There are a few old monuments, and an exceedingly fine

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

of the 14th century.

The library above south porch was presented by Bishop White in 1698. On the north wall hangs the oil painting ''The Raising of Lazarus'' by William Hilton RA. It was previously used as an altarpiece for the High Altar. The chapel of St George was decorated by W.D. Caroe around 1920. The chapel of the Holy Spirit was decorated by

Sir 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 architects. His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishment of churches, and the de ...

in 1930. The reredos, given in 1937 in memory of William Bradley and his wife Elizabeth, was designed by

. The church was designated a

, being of outstanding architectural or historic interest, on 29 September 1950.

Restoration

The roofs of the whole of the south aisle, nave and chancel were restored between 1850 and 1852. The whole of the west window was revealed when the floor of the ringing chamber, formerly on a level with the transom of the window, was raised. The church was heavily restored between 1853 and 1855 by

Sir George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

. The plastered ceilings were removed, and replaced with oak. The galleries and pews were removed, the stonework of the pillars, arches and windows was cleaned and repaired. The floor was levelled and concreted and in the nave laid with black and red Minton tiles. The chancel was fitted with encaustic tiles. A new reredos in Ancaster stone replaced Hinton's picture, which was moved to the north transept. The screen had its paint removed, and was restored. The old stalls, miserere seats, and desks were repaired and restored. The organ was moved from the rood loft, and placed in the south chancel aisle, with an entry to the vestry through the middle of it. The windows of the nave and transepts were renewed with Hartley's rough plate glass in quarries. The walls of the nave were lined to the height of six feed with oak panelling. It re-opened for worship on 12 April 1855 The spire was damaged in a lightning strike in May 1894. The

weather cock A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

was re-instated on 22 August 1894 witnessed by a large crowd of spectators. The nave roof, south porch and spire were restored in 1913.

Vicars of Newark

*1301 Walter Adam de Coddington *1320 William de Lincoln *1322 Rocelinus or Roslyn *1333 John de Leverton *1349 Thomas de Silkeston *1359 Thomas de Westburgh *1360 Roger de Leverton *1367 William de Nesse *1371 Roger de Leverton *1375 John de Seggefield *1378 John Sharp *1421 John More *1423 Thomas Marshe *1425 Robert Crosslande *1425 Nicholas Ferriby *1445 John Burton *1475 Nicholas Laughton *1476 John Tristrop *1479 John Smythe *1521 Edward Fowke *1521 Sampson Lorde *1532 Henry Lytherlande *1540/2 Robert Chapman *1550 Christopher Sugden *1554 John Taverham *1559 Christopher Sugden *1561 Edward Roodes *1573 Nicholas Clayton *1581 William Smythe *1585 Lawrence Staunton *1588 Edward Holden *1596 William Pell *1597 Bryan Vincent *1601 Joseph Batts *1612 Simon Jacks *1618 Edmund Mason *1628 Samuel Keemel *1629 John Moseley *1642 Henry Trewman *1655 Samuel Hawkes *1660 Thomas White, afterwards Bishop of Peterborough *1666 Richard Pearson *1667 Henry Smith, Prebendary of

Southwell Minster Southwell Minster () is a minster and cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated miles from Newark-on-Trent and from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and N ...

*1702 Eli Stanfield *1719 Bemard Wilson, D.D. *1772 Hugh Wade *1776 Charles Fynes *1788 Davies Pennell *1814 William Bartlett *1835 John Garrett Bussell, B.A., Canon of Lincoln Cathedral *1874 Josiah Brown Pearson, LL.D. afterwards Bishop of Newcastle (Australia) *1880 Marshall Wild, M.A., Canon of

*1908 Walter Paton Hindley, M.A., Canon of

*1919 James Manders Walker, M.A., D.D., Canon of

*1929 William Kay, DSM, M.C., M.A. Canon of

, afterwards Provost of

Blackburn Cathedral Blackburn Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of Blackburn Saint Mary the Virgin with St Paul, is an Anglican (Church of England) cathedral situated in the heart of Blackburn town centre, in Lancashire, England. The cathedral si ...

*1936 Alfred Parkinson, B.A., Canon of

*1944 Lewis Mervyn Charles-Edwards, afterwards Bishop of Worcester *1948 George William Clarkson, M.A., Canon of

, afterwards Bishop of Pontefract *1955 John H.D. Grinter, B.A., Canon of

*1963 Eric J. Kingsnorth, F.I.A., Canon of

*1975 Benjamin Hugh Lewers, M.A., Rector from 1980, afterwards Provost of

Derby Cathedral The Cathedral Church of All Saints Derby, better known as Derby Cathedral, is a cathedral church in the city of Derby, England. In 1927, it was promoted from parish church status, to a cathedral, creating a seat for the Bishop of Derby, w ...

*1981 George Miller McMillan Thomson *1988 Roger Anthony John Hill, M.A., Canon of

*2003 Vivian John Enever *2014 Stephen Morris (Priest in charge) *2017 David Pickersgill (Priest in charge) *2021 Chris Lion (Rector)

The Magnus Bequest

The church is supported by the Magnus Bequest, a charitable foundation created in the early 1530s by Thomas Magnus, who gave farms and lands in south

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

and Nottinghamshire for a fourfold purpose: * The establishment and endowment of a free grammar school; * The provision and endowment of a song school to ensure the maintenance of a high standard of worship in the parish; * the provision of a sufficient sum to guarantee the efficient administration of the bequest and proper upkeep of the farms and lands from which the income was to be derived; * the provision of occasional sums to be used for the general well-being of the church or the town (if there be any surplus after the first three objects had been fully accomplished).

Music

Organ

At the beginning of the 19th century a new 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 ...

, with three manuals, was provided by the trustees of the Magnus, Brown's and Phyllypott's charities at a cost of £1,300. It was opened on 11 November 1804 by Thomas Spofforth. It was placed on the west gallery from where the choir sang services. In 1814 the organ was re-located on the chancel screen and the choir returned to the chancel. In the 1850s the organ was rebuilt by

Forster and Andrews Forster and Andrews was a British organ building company between 1843 and 1924. The company was formed by James Alderson Forster (1818–1886) and Joseph King Andrews (1820–1896), who had been employees of the London organ builder J. C. Bisho ...

of Hull, provided with a new case and again re-located, this time to its present position in the south choir aisle. In 1866 the organ was rebuilt and enlarged by

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 ...

. Willis virtually doubled the size of the instrument and its case, creating a large Romantic four-manual organ. The organ was again rebuilt by

William Hill & Sons William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century. The founder William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...

in 1910 at the expense of Mrs Becher Tidd Pratt and family, and subsequently by

Hill, Norman and Beard William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Limited (commonly known as Hill, Norman and Beard) were a major pipe organ manufacturer originally based in Norfolk. History They were founded in 1916 by the merger of Norman and Beard and William Hill & Sons ...

in 1924, 1938, 1964 and 1978 when it was rebuilt and more voices added. It is now electrically operated by the Ellen Dynamic Transmission system which allows much greater mobility of the organ console, providing more direct contact with the congregation and the choir; it is the first four-manual instrument in the country to be so equipped, enabling a live performance to be electronically recorded and replayed automatically.

The Choir

The Choral Foundation was set up by Thomas Magnus in 1532 and was said to be the only existing pre-reformation choir outside cathedrals and Oxbridge colleges. Girl choristers were admitted into the main choir from 2008. In February 2012 choral services stopped following the dismissal of the Master of the Song School. The choir was refounded in 2015. It has an emphasis on the training of young people, supported by the Magnus Bequest.

Masters of the Song School

There have been appointments since at least 1532. * Robert Kyrkbye 1532–1574 * Peter Newcombe c. 1590 * Edward Manestie until 1596 * George Fishburne 1596–1636? * Thomas Kingstone 1636–1641 * Thomas Heardson 1642–1649 * John Hinton 1649–1668 * John Barlow 1668 - * Roland Barlow 1679–1682 * William Farrow 1682–1709 * Thomas Farrow 1709–1712 * John Spencer 1712–1731 * John Murgatroyd 1731–1741 * Walter Cottingham 1741–1749 * Richard Justice 1749–1751 * Samuel Wise 1751–1754, latterly organist of

and St Mary's Church, Nottingham * Lloyd Rayner 1754–1756, later organist of Lincoln Cathedral * Bailey Marley 1757–1758 * John Alcock 1758–1768 * Thomas Jackson 1768–1781 * John Calah 1782–1784 * William Hunter 1784–1802 * William Brydges 1802–1835 *

Edward Dearle Edward Dearle (2 March 1806 – 20 March 1891) was an organist and composer based in England. Life He was born in Cambridge in 1806 the son of John Dearle and Harriet Harrison, and was a chorister at King's College, Cambridge by John Pratt, the ...

1835–1864 *

Samuel Reay Samuel Reay (17 March 1828 – 21 July 1905) was an organist and composer based in England. Life He was born on 17 March 1828, the son of George Agnew Reay, organist of Hexham Abbey, and Eleanor Spraggon. His father moved to Ryton on Tyne and ...

1864–1901 (formerly organist of St Thomas the Martyr, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne * Sydney Harry Franz Weale FRCO LRAM 1901–1903 * William Thompson Wright ARCO RCM 1903–1928 (formerly organist of

St Leonard's Church, Newark St. Leonard's Church, Newark is a parish church in the Church of England in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. History The first church was built in Northgate in 1873 and designed by the architects Evans and Jolly of Nottingham.Pevsner, Nikolau ...

) * William A Hall MusDoc 1928–1930 * Edward Francis Reginald Woolley MA ARCO 1930–1954 (assistant organist at Lincoln Cathedral 1926–1930) * Colin Ingleson FRCO 1954–1974 * Robert Edward Gillman 1974–1980 * Michael Overbury 1980–1986 (later organist of

Worksop Priory Worksop Priory (formally the Priory Church of Our Lady and Saint Cuthbert, Worksop) is a Church of England parish church and former priory in the town of Worksop, Nottinghamshire, part of the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham and under the ...

) * John Webster 1986–1992 * Roger Bryan 1992–2006 * ''Interregnum'' 2006–2009 * George Richford 2009–2012 (moved to

Romsey Abbey Romsey Abbey is the name currently given to a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery. The surviving Norman-era c ...

) * ''Interregnum'' 2012–2015 * Stephen Bullamore 2015 (Director of Music) - St Mary Magdalene's church, Newark 005

Concerts

The church hosts several concerts, including a "Music for Market" series at lunchtime on Saturdays.

Assistant organists

* Henry Bramley Ellis ???? - 1864Lincolnshire Chronicle - Friday 11 March 1864 *

Sydney Weale Sydney Harry Franz Weale (1881–1943) was a cathedral organist, who served in St Columb's Cathedral, Derry and was borough organist for Stoke on Trent. Background He was educated at Ludlow in Shrosphire. Career Assistant organist of: *St Davi ...

1901–1903 (formerly assistant of St David's Cathedral, afterwards assistant at

) * Colin Ingleson FRCO, 1932–1954 * Mike Manners 1982 * Craig Nathan ARCO 1984 * John Shooter ARCO 1985 * Robert Sharpe 1989–1991 (formerly Assistant Organist of

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

, Director of Music at Truro Cathedral and now Director of Music at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Arch ...

.) * Charles Harrison 1991-1992 (formerly Assistant Director of Music at Lincoln Cathedral and now Organist and Master of the Choristers at

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of ...

.) * Donald Hunt 2011–2012 (formerly Organ Scholar of Truro Cathedral (2009–2010) and St Paul's Cathedral, Assistant Organist of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh) (2012-2017) * Harry Jacques ARCO 2015-2017 * Michael Dutton FRCO

Gallery

File:St Mary Magdalene's church, Newark 013.JPG, The reredos File:St Mary Magdalene's church, Newark 014.JPG, Dance of Death panels File:St Mary Magdalene's church, Newark 012.JPG, Chancel roof File:St Mary Magdalene's church, Newark 016.JPG, The organ File:St Mary Magdalene's church, Newark 017.JPG, West window File:St Mary Magdalene's church, Newark 006.JPG, West tower and spire, from the Market Place File:St.Mary Magdalene's church - geograph.org.uk - 332736.jpg, From the east, tall seven-light chancel window flanked by two five-light aisle windows, all three from 1498 File:Newark, St Mary Magdalene church, s2 detail 2e (43307558245).jpg, 15th-century stained glass, south aisle, depicting The Ascension

Sources

*The Buildings of England, Nottinghamshire,

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

External links

holytrinitynewark.org

at interment.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent

Major Churches Network Newark-on-Trent