Church of St. Mary Magdalene and attached railing

The Church of St Mary Magdalene is a major medieval parish church with extensive development spanning four centuries, built in ashlar stone with lead roofs, moulded plinths and crenellated parapets throughout. The nave and chancel aisle windows feature hood moulds with mask stops.

The building's construction history begins around 1180 with the crypt and crossing piers. Around 1220 the crossing and west tower were added. The south aisle and spire date from the early 14th century. The mid-15th century saw the construction of the nave arcade, clerestory and north aisle. The late 15th century brought the chancel, choir, sanctuary, lady chapel and aisles. The transepts and chantry chapels were added in the early 16th century. Bishop White presented the library above the south porch in 1698. Sir George Gilbert Scott restored the church in 1853. The nave roof, south porch and spire were restored in 1913. Around 1920 Caröe decorated the Chapel of St George, and in 1930 Comper decorated the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.

The church comprises an engaged west tower with spire, nave and chancel under a continuous roof, with clerestory and aisles, north and south porches (the latter with library above), vestry, chantry chapels, transepts, and a crypt now serving as treasury.

The west tower of four stages has gabled angle buttresses rising to the bell stage, and flat clasping buttresses with gabled tops above. It features string courses, a quatrefoil frieze, mask corbel table, and crocketed corner pinnacles. The west side has a moulded doorway with dogtooth bands, hood mould and four shafts, with a 14th-century traceried panelled door flanked by single niches. Above the doorway is a 15th-century five-light lancet with transom and panel tracery, and above that a four-bay blind arcade with two niches and trellis decoration above. Clocks appear on each side. The east side features a two-bay arcade. The bell stage has moulded double openings on each side, each divided into traceried double lancet bell openings, surmounted by crocketed gables. On either side of these openings and in the gable are canopied ogee-headed niches with figures. The octagonal broach spire has a weathercock and four tiers of gabled lucarnes with double lancet openings.

The nave clerestory has coved eaves, crenellated parapet and gables, gargoyles and a gabled sanctus bellcote with pinnacles. On either side are ten triple lancets with panel tracery and linked hood moulds. The north nave aisle of six bays has a moulded plinth and eaves band, crenellated parapet, and buttresses with shafts and crocketed pinnacles, with niches at the angles. It contains six four-light lancets with panel tracery, and the west end has a similar five-light lancet. The central square north porch has a plinth, angle buttresses and low-pitched crenellated gable. The entrance is a roll-moulded elliptical arched door with three shafts, hood mould, and 20th-century doors and overlight.

The south nave aisle, also of six bays, has a moulded plinth, mask corbel table and crenellated parapet. Four crocketed gabled buttresses and an angle buttress feature gabled niches. Six four-light Decorated lancets appear along the south side, the third from the left partly covered by the south porch. The plain west gable has a six-light lancet with flowing tracery. The two-storey south porch and library above have plinth and string courses and a low-pitched gable with pinnacles. An elliptical arched five-light lancet has a figure in a niche above. On either side is a segment-headed four-light lancet with hood mould. The depressed four-centred arched doorway has single shafts and hood mould, with a 20th-century glazed screen and door. On the east side is a blocked Tudor arched door.

The chancel clerestory has twelve triple lancets similar to the nave clerestory, with a double lancet at the west end. The east end features a full-height seven-light lancet with traceried transom and round-headed lights. In the gable is a canopied niche with figure and cross. On either side is a gabled buttress, each with a figure niche, all crocketed. The north chancel aisle and St George's Chapel of four bays have buttresses with two-stage detached wall shafts with crocketed pinnacles, and a frieze of shields. To the east is a five-light lancet with panel tracery and to the west four similar four-light lancets. An off-centre 14th-century moulded doorway has a crocketed ogee finial. The east gable has a six-light lancet and above it a figure niche with pinnacle. The similar south chancel aisle and Chapel of the Holy Spirit have to the east two five-light lancets and to the west three four-light lancets with four-centred arched heads, the lower parts covered by a single-storey vestry.

The vestry of three bays in Perpendicular style has an off-centre door and three untraceried triple lancets, and at the east end a similar four-light lancet, all with four-centred arches. The transepts have angle buttresses with figure niches and pinnacled gables with central niches. The north and south gables have seven-light Perpendicular lancets with depressed four-centred arches and panel tracery. The north transept has on either side a four-light lancet with panel tracery similar to those in the aisles, and in the south-west corner a crenellated octagonal stair turret. The south transept has to the east a partly blocked five-light lancet.

Inside, the five-bay nave has coved piers with lobed bases, four shafts and small foliate capitals. Moulded arches feature hood moulds with figure stops. The clerestory has a moulded sill band and linked hood mould with mask stops, alternate stops forming roof corbels. The painted low-pitched roof has arch braces and panels with bosses, continued over the crossing. The triple-chamfered tower arch has a hood mould and dogtooth band, and filleted triple shafts. To north and south are similar smaller arches into the aisles, with hood moulds. A depressed four-centred arched west doorway contains a 19th-century wooden screen with carillon mechanism to the left. The west window has late 19th-century stained glass.

The north aisle has an unpainted panelled roof similar to the nave and windows with moulded surrounds, hood moulds and mask stops. Three north-west windows have stained glass from around 1900. The east end has a moulded arch with hood mould and figure stops and piers similar to the nave arcade, the south one with figure brackets. To the left is a painted stone figure niche with billeted canopy. The west window has a plain bracket to the right and an unusual triple-head bracket to the left.

The south aisle has a similar roof to the north aisle, with a single-purlin gabled roof to the two west bays. The moulded eastern arch has hood mould and stops, and triple shafts with foliate capitals. The eastern bays have square corbels with fleurons. Windows have moulded surrounds, double shafts and hood moulds. Three south-east windows have stained glass by Wailes and Gerente from the mid-19th century. The central moulded doorway has above it a double-chamfered window to the library, with a traceried wrought iron grille. Two south-west windows have stained glass by Kempe from 1901. Both nave aisle west windows have stained glass by Burlison and Grylls from the late 19th century.

The south porch has a restored beamed ceiling and chamfered stone benches on each side. A 19th-century enclosed stone spiral stair has a shouldered doorway and six stepped lancet openings. The moulded south doorway has triple shafts and two mask stops but no hood mould, with an 18th-century framed panelled screen and door. The library above has a low-pitched roof with arch braces and panelled ceiling, with 19th-century fitted bookcases and door screen.

The crossing has piers with triple shafts and foliate and mask capitals, and moulded arches with hood moulds. Those to the chancel and transepts are higher than that to the nave. The clerestory has a moulded sill band. The chancel arch has a restored oak rood screen with traceried crest and canopies, said to be the sole surviving work of Thomas Drawswerd of York from 1508.

The chancel and aisles have six-bay arcades and clerestory similar to the nave. The east ends form a central Lady chapel, northern Chapel of St George and southern Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The three east end windows are flanked by canopied niches, the larger central ones with restored figures. The central window has noteworthy stained glass by Hardman from 1862.

The north chancel aisle has a moulded western arch with triple shafts and hood mould, and a wrought iron screen from 1862. Moulded windows have linked hood moulds with niches between them. The renewed flat roof has moulded timbers and short wooden wall shafts. The wood-panelled eastern chapel has a traceried screen and altarpiece, and late 19th-century stained glass window by Hardman.

The south chancel aisle has a similar western arch and screen, flanked by single Tudor arched doorways, that to the left leading to the former rood. The similar roof is slightly cambered with bosses. The east window has reset medieval stained glass by Joan Howson from 1957. The south side has an east window with stained glass by Percy Bacon from 1929. A central cusped piscina appears with a Tudor arched vestry door to its right, with flanking pilasters and crest.

The rectangular Meyring chantry to the north-east of the chancel, dating from 1500, has angle buttresses and crenellated crest. Towards the chancel is a moulded four-centred arch. Towards the aisle, a panelled base and five-light transomed opening. The similar Markham chantry to the south-east of the chancel from 1508 has a frieze of shields. Towards the chancel is a panelled four-centred arch and a four-seat sedilia. Towards the aisle is a six-light transomed opening with two panels painted with scenes from a danse macabre.

The transepts have low-pitched roofs with moulded timbers and short wooden wall shafts on mask corbels. Windows have moulded surrounds with hood moulds and stops. The south transept east window, blocked at the foot, has 19th-century stained glass. The two-bay crypt, now the treasury, has keeled roll-moulded rib vaults with bosses.

Fittings include an octagonal 15th-century font with bowl from around 1660, altered 16th-century traceried bench ends with poppyheads in the chancel aisles, and elaborate traceried panelled choir stalls with misericords from around 1500, matching the rood screen. There is a 16th-century cope chest and two freestanding collection boxes. 19th-century fittings comprise benches, a skeleton pulpit, brass eagle lectern, and Gothic organ case by Scott. A large panelled gilt wood reredos with central canopy by Comper dates from 1937. On the east side is a 13-seat sedilia with ogee openings. Above it is a mosaic Adoration by James Powell & Sons from 1912.

Memorials include a large Flemish brass to Alan Fleming from 1363. A Purbeck marble chest tomb with quatrefoil panels commemorates Robert Brown, died 1532. A wall tablet to Anne Markham from 1601, removed from Cotham, has a relief figure panel with weepers in an inscribed Classical surround. A garlanded marble and slate tablet with crest commemorates Hercules Clay, died 1644. A strapwork marble and alabaster tablet with broken pediment commemorates Henry Trewman, died 1655. A painted alabaster bust in oval niche with pedimented surround and two inscribed panels commemorates John Johnson, died 1659. Two similar alabaster busts in oval niches with inscriptions commemorate R. Ramsey, died 1639, with broken segmental pediment, and T. Atkinson, died 1661. A marble tablet with pediment, crest and bust commemorates Daniel Crayle, died 1727. A tablet with profile medallion by Roubiliac commemorates Anne Taylor, died 1757.

Outside, wrought iron spearhead railing and two gates with stone plinth from the late 18th century run from the south transept to the corner of the south chancel aisle.