St Mary Magdalene's Church, Ribbleton

St Mary Magdalene’s stands in Ribbleton Avenue, Preston, Lancashire, an active Anglican church serving the Ribbleton district. Designed by R. Knill Freeman, the building was completed in 1888–91 and later enlarged by the Lancaster architects Austin and Paley in about 1901 and again in 1938–41. The benefice is now united with the nearby Church of the Ascension, Ribbleton. The church sits within the deanery of Preston, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. Its red sandstone walls with yellow dressings show Decorated style details, including short aisles and transepts of two unequal bays. Parapets conceal the roof along the aisles, and each transept holds a large rose window. The Buildings of England series calls it “an odd building” that “was never finished,” yet the additions by Austin and Paley brought new chancel, chapel, aisles and vestries. The church’s plan remains distinctive for its asymmetry and uncompleted elements. Inside, the space is framed by the rose windows and the transept chapels added later. The yellow sandstone dressings catch the light against the red walls, giving the interior a warm glow. The short aisles and hidden roof parapets create a sense of enclosure around the nave. The chancel and chapel from the 1938–41 works sit at the east end, completing part of the original vision. Visitors notice the contrast between Freeman’s late 19th-century design and Paley’s early 20th-century extensions.