St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham

St. Mary Magdalene Church
St. Mary Magdalene Church Location in Norfolk
52°49′42″N 0°30′32″E / 52.828204°N 0.508924°E
Denomination	Church of England
Administration
Parish	Sandringham, Norfolk

St Mary Magdalene Church

St Mary Magdalene Church is a church in Sandringham, Norfolk, England, located just to the northwest of Sandringham Estate. Members of the British Royal Family attend services when in residence at Sandringham, which normally includes Christmas.^[1] The current vicar is the Reverend Canon Jonathon Riviere.

History

The Grade II* listed^[2] church is dedicated to Mary Magdalene^[3] and is described as a small building in the Perpendicular style, "nobly lying on raised ground".^[4][5] The current building dates to the 16th century and was restored by S. S. Teulon in 1855 and Arthur Blomfield in 1890. It is considered to be a noteworthy example of a carrstone building.^[6][7] It is located in the park and is approached from Sandringham House through the garden by "an avenue of fine old Scotch firs".^[5]

The silver altar and reredos were presented to Queen Alexandra by the American department store owner, Rodman Wanamaker, as a tribute to Edward VII. He also presented her with the silver pulpit and a silver 17th-century Spanish processional cross. Of note also is a Florentine marble font and a Greek font dating to the 9th-century.^[6][8]

Burials

There are memorials to many members and relations of the Royal Family in the church and churchyard. Prince John (12 July 1905 – 18 January 1919) is buried here. King George VI lay in state in the church after his death in February 1952.^[9]

Christenings

The church has been the site of many royal christenings. These christenings include:^[10][11]

• King George VI was baptised on 10 February 1896
• Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood was baptised on 7 June 1897
• King Olav V of Norway was baptised on 11 August 1903
• Prince John was baptised on 3 August 1905
• Diana, Princess of Wales was baptised on 30 August 1961^[12]
• Princess Eugenie of York was baptised 23 December 1990
• Princess Charlotte of Cambridge was baptised 5 July 2015^[13]

References

1. "Duke of Edinburgh misses royals' Christmas Day service". BBC. 25 December 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
2. Historic England. "Church of St Mary Magdelene <sic>  (Grade II*) (1077615)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
3. Blomefield, Francis; Parkin, Charles (1775). An Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: History of Norwich. Printed for W. Miller. p. 684. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
4. JSTOR (Organization) (1905). The Musical times. Novello. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
5. Jones, C. Rachel (1888). Sandringham, past and present. Jarrold & Sons. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
6. "Church of St. Mary Magdalene". Sandringham Estate.co.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
7. Kelly, E.R. (1865). The Post Office Directory of Norfolk & Suffolk. p. 365. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
8. James, N P (1 November 2011). Norfolk: A County Guide. Cv Publications. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-908419-01-9. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
9. Time Inc (18 February 1952). LIFE. Time Inc. p. 38. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
10. "Royal Baptism: Prince George of Cambridge". 27 September 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
11. "Princess Charlotte to be christened at Sandringham". 5 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
12. Morton, p. 100
13. "First family outing: William, Kate and a rather curious George are all smiles as they attend Princess Charlotte's christening". 5 July 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.