Saint Mary Magdalen

The Parish Church of Saint Mary Magdalen, commonly known as The Church with the Blue Roof is an Anglican parish serving the Chapelfields area of Coventry. We worship in the liberal Catholic tradition of the Church of England.

This district of Coventry is known as Chapelfields, a name derived from the Leper Chapel built nearly 1000 years ago in the fields outside the city.

The population of the parish of St. Thomas grew as houses developed along Hearsall Lane and on land both sides of it. As a result a temporary corrugated iron building, known affectionately as ‘The Tin Tabernacle’, was built by the Railway viaduct at Spon End as a mission church. In 1917 the dedication of a Church to St Mary Magdalen was revived when ‘The Tin Tabernacle’ was moved from Spon End to Sir Thomas White’s Road and re-named. It was placed between what is now the Vicarage and the present Church.

After the present brick Church, designed by Mr. H.T. Jackson of Huntingdon Road, Earlsdon, was built in 1934, ‘The Tin Tabernacle’ served as a Church Hall until 1961.

The Magdalen Centre was built in 1986.

The most obvious feature of the outside of our Church is its blue roof. We are not sure why we have a blue roof, but Coventry was famous many years ago for its dark blue dye – Coventry Blue – so perhaps our roof echoes part of the city’s commercial history. The first thing we see on entering the Church is the most important of all, the Altar, at the far (east) end. This is the focal point for most of our services.

Looking around you will see the font, 5 statues, 2 banners, several wood carvings, and three stained-glass windows.

On the right of the church is a small chapel, dedicated to Our Lady, St Mary, the Mother of Jesus. The Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved in this chapel.

Again the focal point in the chapel is the Altar. This Altar was the Altar from ‘The Tin Tabernacle’.

The Church is used day by day and week by week by local people for prayer and to take part in public acts of worship.

We are a meeting place for the local Christian community and hope to provide teaching, nurture and support, and encourage service to the community at large.

	Web www.st-mary-magdalen.org.uk