£7.3 Million to Save a Grade I Church and Add a Community Annex: St Mary Magdalene, Paddington, Breaks Ground

• St Mary Magdalene Church in Paddington began a £7.3 million project in November 2017
• The work includes conserving the Grade I listed church and building a community annex
• Funders included the Heritage Lottery Fund and Westminster City Council
• The project followed ten years of preparation

A Grade I listed church in west London began a £7.3 million project to conserve its building and add a new community annex, the Diocese of London reported in November 2017.

St Mary Magdalene Church in Paddington, beside the Grand Union Canal, is combining conservation of the historic church with a new annex providing learning spaces, a café, a cultural venue and flexible community rooms. Construction was expected to take 12 months.

Funders and partners included the Heritage Lottery Fund, Paddington Development Trust, Westminster City Council, Power to Change, John Lyon’s Charity, City Bridge Trust and Allchurches Trust. The contractor was Lengard Ltd, with Dow Jones Architects and Cliveden Conservation. The writer John Julius Norwich was the project’s patron.

“I was delighted to take part in St Mary Magdalene Church’s ground-breaking celebration which marks the end of ten years of preparation,” said Bishop Pete Broadbent, then acting Bishop of London. Vicar Fr Henry Everett said: “It is so exciting to be starting the conservation work which will reveal the true beauty of St Mary Magdalene’s.” Neil Johnston, chief executive of Paddington Development Trust, added: “This is a very special building that both local people and London artists will make their own.”

The Paddington project shows how a historic church can pay for its conservation by opening up to the wider community. Many funders will back a church building if it becomes a community asset. Jamaican churches seeking to restore landmark buildings can learn from the approach: add community spaces such as cafés, learning rooms and cultural venues, and assemble a broad coalition of public, charitable and heritage funders.

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