This beautiful building needs your support

The church is now in need of a new roof on the Nave which will cost upwards of £250,000 and while we hope to raise funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund and others, we need to fund match. We are therefore asking people who may have been a member of the church, been married or baptised here, or attended a service or one of the many events held here … or just stopped off on a bike ride for tea and cake, to make a donation to help us keep this beautiful church in good repair for worship, cultural, heritage and community use.

St Mary Magdalene Church, Whitgift, is valued for its heritage, its beauty and its importance to the local community. The original church was built around 1130 and Whitgift itself was a strategic place for transport, being situated on the River Ouse, providing access to the north, south, east and west by road and ferry, which was granted by Royal Charter. The ferry was reportedly used by Charles 1 and by John Wesley at different times. Although this original church was destroyed, permission was granted to build the existing church in 1304.

The church is home to a number of beautiful stained glass windows depicting a number of Biblical scenes. It is a Grade I Listed Building and the churchyard contains two Grade II Listed structures. It is very much a local landmark.

From its early days, the church was used to host regular feasts and fayres, most notably the Maudlin Fayres (a corruption of Magdalene) which brought in people from near and far. Now it is used to host musical events, a puppet show, Heritage Open Days and community activities offered in partnership with Incredible Edible, a local environmental group.