English: St Mary Magdalen Church, Bermondsey, London The first known record of the church of St Mary Magdalen is in about 1290, when it was recorded that "Mary Magdalen Chapel is in the hands of the Prior and Convent of Bermondsey". Very little is known of the building until the 17th C when, in 1680, the church was deemed unsafe and most of it was pulled down and rebuilt (architect C Stanton). The only surviving remnant of the building from before then is the lower portion) of the late mediæval tower, including four gothic arches in the chamber behind the organ, and this is now the oldest building in Bermondsey. The new building was completed by 1690 and is essentially what is seen today, although a significant difference was the portico at the west end (on pillars, projecting into Bermondsey Street above the present pavement), above which was the school. Soon after, the North gallery was erected (in about 1705), and in 1794 the South gallery was added, thus blocking the magnificent south doorway. Both galleries are supported on narrow pillars which are in contrast with the stone columns of the 1690 church structure. Further structural work was done in 1829 (architect George Porter), including removal of the school and portico and the remodelling of the exterior in "playful Gothic" style with mock battlements and external rendering. It was about this time that the tower was reduced in height to the present level, probably due to concerns about the weight of the tower and the strength of the building below. http://www.stmarysbermondsey.org.uk/History.htm