HISTORY OF THE CHURCH                                                                                             

Origins and the Abbey

Bermondsey has had a place of worship for over 1000 years.  A monastery was in existence in the 8th C and in 1082 Alwyn Child funded the construction of a new building which appears to have been completed by 1089 when there is a first mention of a Prior, Petreius.  This Priory was attached to the French Abbey of Cluny.  A church is mentioned in the Domesday Book as "a new and handsome church"; this "Conventual Church" was dedicated to St Saviour and was situated to the south of the present church on the edge of the present churchyard.  In 1399 the Priory became an Abbey, at the request of King Richard II to the Pope. The Abbey was dissolved in 1537 by Henry VIII, and the estate was acquired by Sir Thomas Pope (who founded Trinity College Oxford) who built a mansion for himself, Bermondsey House.  The Abbey is still commemorated by many local street names.  Click here for more details about the origins and the Abbey.

The Church

The first known record of the church of St Mary Magdalen is in about 1290, when the church appears to have been serving the workers in the Priory.  Little more is known of the following 400 years, although the engravings on the church silver of the late 16th/early 17th C indicate a wealthy congregation.  In 1680 the old church was pulled down (before it fell down?) - the only surviving remnant of the previous building is the late mediæval tower with a gothic window and four arches.  The new building was completed by 1690.  The North gallery was subsequently erected (in about 1705), and in 1794 the South gallery was added.  The last major work was the extension of the chancel in 1882/3.   Click here for fuller details about the church and click here for some internal and external photographs

Previous Rectors of the Church

This is a link to a list of the previous rectors of St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey, and a photo of the board in the church from which it is copied.

The Churchyard

The churchyard was handed over to the Vestry of Bermondsey in 1882, and is now cared for by the London Borough of Southwark.  There are a number of listed memorials and other features in the churchyard, and full details can be found on www.imagesofengland.org.uk (which requires free registration).  Some details are repeated on this link to the churchyard.  See also this link to an on-line copy of "The history and antiquities of the parish of Bermondsey" By G. W. Phillips, 1841.  A fascinating read, especially pages 75-76, which give some interesting gravestone inscriptions.

Note that the church is not "St Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey" - it appears Magdalen has always been spelt without the more usual(?) final "e".  Unfortunately, given the workings of the internet search engines, many people would miss us unless this paragraph is included!

Our Other Churches

The parish incorporates the parishes of three other former parish churches: St Olave Tooley Street, St John Horselydown and St Luke Grange Road.  Click here for more details about the location and remains of these churches.
 

This page updated 23 September 2010

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