St Mary Magdalene's Church, Wyken

St Mary Magdalene’s stands in Wyken, a district on the eastern edge of Coventry in the West Midlands. Built in the 12th century, it is one of the oldest buildings in the area and holds Grade I listed status. The original doorway, nave and chancel remain from that first church. A 15th-century roof still crowns the nave, though its timbers are now hidden beneath 18th-century plaster inside. In 1866 the whole church was restored, and two years later the chancel was rebuilt. A tower was added in the 19th century, giving the church its present outline. The church is worth the journey because it shows nearly nine hundred years of continuous use and change. The 12th-century doorway and nave arches are among the finest surviving examples of Norman craftsmanship in the region. The 15th-century roof, though concealed, is one of the oldest timber roofs still in place in Coventry. The 1866 restoration was carried out by the architect George Edmund Street, a leading figure in the 19th-century Gothic Revival. The rebuilt chancel of 1868 and the later tower add layers of Victorian design to the medieval core. Visitors find a quiet churchyard surrounding the building, with yew and lime trees framing the west end. Inside, the nave’s 15th-century roof trusses rise above plain 18th-century plaster. The Norman doorway on the south side shows simple, bold zigzag and billet mouldings. The rebuilt chancel contains a Victorian east window and a plain stone font. The 19th-century tower houses a ring of eight bells, still rung on special occasions.