St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey

St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey is an Anglican church in Bermondsey, part of the London Borough of Southwark. Most of the present building dates from the late 17th century and is Grade II* listed. Its parish stretches along the Thames, including parts of Tower Bridge and London Bridge station. The church has absorbed three nearby parishes over time. A medieval tower with Gothic windows remains from an earlier building on the site. The church is worth visiting for its layered history and surviving features. A 1290 record shows a church here serving Bermondsey Abbey workers. The late 17th-century rebuilding kept the medieval tower, and later alterations included Gothic Revival redecoration in 1852. The chancel was lengthened in 1883, and the interior survived the Blitz but suffered a fire in 1971. Notable items include medieval stone capitals from the abbey and the Bermondsey Mazer, a piece of medieval silver now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Inside, visitors find the medieval tower arches behind the organ, though the organ itself dates from 1851. The south gallery retains its original boxed pews, while the north gallery has had its gates removed. The churchyard, closed in 1854, holds listed tombs including those of Charles Rolls’ ancestors. The church also keeps records of its medieval ornaments and Reformation-era changes.