PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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CHURCH OF SAINT MARY THE VIRGIN AND SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
The Anglican Church of Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Mary Magdalene was situated in Alvington Street, in the Cattedown district of Plymouth. It has now been demolished. In 1889 a temporary red brick building was erected on a site donated by Mr Tracey Elliot. The ecclesiastical parish was formed on July 7th 1911 from that of Sutton-on-Plym. It remained at right-angles to the main building and was later used as the Church Hall. The foundation stone of the Church was laid by the Right Reverend Archibald, Bishop of Exeter, on Saturday September 9th 1911. When erected it consisted only of the nave, chancel, south aisle and a small side chapel. This accommodated only 480 people but when the Church was completed it would seat 627 worshippers. [1] It was designed by Sir Charles A Nicholson and was one of the most unconventional ecclesiastical structures in the Diocese. It had no timber whatsoever in the roof. This was, in fact, constructed with 400 tons of reinforced concrete, the weight of which required the local limestone walls and granite pillars to be of massive dimensions. Subsequently the north aisle and a bell turret were added. The Church cost a little under £4,000 to construct. [2] Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Mary Magdalene was consecrated by the Bishop of Exeter on the morning of Monday May 6th 1912. The ceremony was marred by the noise from demonstrators objecting to what they termed 'the illegal practices' of the priest-in-charge, the Reverend W Stevenson, and the curate, the Reverend H H Holloway. [3] It was damaged in the Second World War and partially repaired. It was closed in 1956 and the parish was incorporated into Saint John the Evangelist, Sutton-on-Plym. It was converted into a church hall in 1988. The old organ was moved to the Church of the Ascension at Crownhill. The Church was demolished in December 2007/January 2008. Sources (incomplete):
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