St Mary Magdalene's Church, East Ham is a parish church in East Ham, east London, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. Its nave, chancel and apse date to the first half of the 12th century and the tower probably to the early 13th century but partly rebuilt in the 16th century - it is claimed to be the oldest parish church still in weekly use in Greater London and is listed at Grade I. A recess containing a

piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman Ca ...

was cut into the nave's south wall beside the chancel for a nave altar in the 13th century, faint traces of wall paintings from that century also survive on the apse. The roofs were altered in the early 17th century and in 1639 Sir Richard Heigham gave the present white marble font. A 17th century memorial to an Edmond Nevill also survived - he is said to have lived locally at

Green Street House Green Street House, usually known as Boleyn Castle, was a stately home in East Ham in the modern London Borough of Newham, East London. The alternative name derives from the local legend linking the house with Anne Boleyn and from its imposing ...

and he laid claim to the attainted title of

Earl of Westmoreland Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, for leading the Rising of the Nor ...

. Other monuments to Giles Breame and William Heigham survive, whilst William Stukeley is said to have selected the church's churchyard in his lifetime - he is buried there without a monument. Though box pews and a triple decker pulpit were added (only to be replaced in the 1890s), the 18th century otherwise saw few alterations. A west gallery for children was added in 1820 and the south porch converted into a vestry ten years later, replaced by a yellow-brick west porch opening into the tower. In 1883 it opened the mission church that became

St Michael and All Angels Church, Beckton Road St Michael and All Angels Church, Beckton Road, was a Church of England church in East Ham, east London. It opened as a mission of St Mary Magdalene's Church, East Ham in 1883 and immediately rebuilt after burning down three years later. A permanen ...

. In 1896 the west gallery was removed and further restorations completed. In 1908 the south porch stopped being a vestry after a new level was created in the tower for a vestry. A complete restoration in 1931 removed the apse and chancel ceilings, opened out the rood-loft stair and stripped the external plaster from the tower. The

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

destroyed the chancel roof and the whole church's stained glass in 1941, along with other damage, but repairs were immediate and a permanent restoration of the nave was complete by the war's end, followed by a more comprehensive restorations in 1950 and 1965–1966. It now forms part of the East Ham Team Parish (also known as the Parish of the Holy Trinity) alongside St Edmund's, St Bartholomew's and St Alban's.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:East Ham, Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene 12th-century church buildings in England Grade I listed churches in London Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Newham