The Trust
A Message from the Trustees
The St Mary Magdalen Restoration & Development Trust was set up in 1978 to raise money for essential restoration work to the external stonework of St. Mary Magdalen's church. It was registered as a charity (no. 277127) in early 1979 and in the next ten years it raised £300,000 enabling the work to be completed in 1988. To celebrate this achievement, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev'd Dr Robert Runcie, who later became the Trust's patron, preached at a special Solemn Evensong.
It was recognised at the time that it was not just the exterior of the church that required attention. The interior of the building was also in need of much renovation. The Trust had been set up with widely drawn objects and, notwithstanding the completion of the original project, it was kept in being as the internal work grew more pressing. In 1998, the Parochial Church Council conceived and drew up plans with the help of John Perryman Architects for a project to celebrate the new millennium. This was to become known as the West End Project and, with a new set of trustees with the late Malcolm Dalziel as chairman, the Trust was asked to raise the money needed to implement the PCC's vision. The plan was indeed an ambitious one. The principal elements were:
- the removal of the 1962 organ which filled the entire space below the tower blocking the west window
- the installation of an entirely new organ in the arch spaces on either side of the west window (see Organ)
- the construction of a choir gallery which would accommodate the organ console (see Choir)
- the provision of space for congregational gatherings and small meetings under the gallery
- the installation of kitchen facilities, secure office space and a lavatory
- the removal of the internal wooden north porch and the construction of an all glass replacement
- the provision of disabled access
- the re-hanging of the existing peal of 8 bells in the tower and the addition of two further treble bells to give one of the best peals in Oxford (see Bells & Bellringers)
By dint of the exceptional generosity of members of the congregation and friends and supporters of St. Mary Magdalen's and the efforts of the Trustees, all this work has been achieved and the Trust has been able to make available to the PCC since 1998 in excess of £500,000 towards the cost of the work. On completion this time, the work, including the new bells, was consecrated and blessed at the Patronal Festival in July 2002 by the then Lord Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev'd Richard Harries, at a Solemn High Mass over which he presided. Early in 2005, the Trust was delighted and honoured that the Rt Rev'd John Austin Baker, former Lord Bishop of Salisbury, agreed to become Patron of the Trust, following the resignation of Archbishop Rowan Williams from that post on his elevation to the See of Canterbury.
St Mary Magdalen's is the home of a vibrant Christian community and the building is heavily used daily for the purposes for which it was built over a thousand years ago. There is therefore a constant demand on its plant and equipment and that, coupled with the church's architectural importance and antiquity, means that there is a constant requirement to upgrade, repair and renovate the church's fabric and facilities to maintain their beauty and suitability for the further demands that will be made of them in the 21st century.
If you would like to contribute to this work, please contact the Trust Secretary who will be more than happy to advise you on how best to proceed.
The Patron
The Rt Rev'd John Austin Baker
The Trustees
Dr Harvey Chalmers (Secretary), Mrs Jenny Farthing, Fr Peter Groves, Christopher Johnson (Treasurer) and Philip McLean CMG (Chairman).