Harmonies and Reflections
By Barry Richardson
My latest fortnightly visit to St Mary Magdalene revealed a series of quiet surprises woven through the steady progress of Re-Awakening.
The Architect’s vision is beginning to assert itself—not loudly, but with increasing clarity—within the evolving fabric of the building.
Unexpected Harmonies
The first surprise came in the form of a door.
The frame that nestled intriguingly on trestles during my last visit now stands proudly beneath the Western Tower—elegant, assured, and perfectly placed.
This newly framed entrance to the Magnus Room, facing into the main aisle, mirrors the graceful arch above it. It’s a subtle echo—clever, understated, and deeply respectful of the building’s rhythm.
The Magnus Room door graces and mirrors the Western Tower arch.
The second surprise was one of architectural recalibration. The café pod’s roofline, which I had assumed was final, has now been levelled.
The earlier line felt modern and fitting—almost like a crown of thorns, apt in its symbolism.
The new, crisper silhouette will take time to settle in my mind, but it speaks of refinement and long-term harmony.
The untrimmed, and trimmed cafe pod
And then, in the North Transept, a moment of human scale: a lone workman, lying on his side, painstakingly removing hundreds of tacks from the wooden floorboards.
The task is slow, deliberate, and drafted against the vastness of the revealed space. It is emblematic of the care being taken to reuse what already belongs to St Mary’s.
This is not modernisation for its own sake—it is stewardship.
The vast scale of the North Transept revealed.
Signs of Progress
The café pod now looks virtually ready to welcome its white goods—and, in time, one certain Friday morning regular.
External scaffolding is being removed from the South wall. Behind the hoarding: no surprises, just the quiet re-emergence of a medieval church—still in restoration, but unmistakably itself. Somehow, in my mind, it already feels healed.
High in the South Transept, new plasterwork blends seamlessly with the old. The scaffolding still obscures a full view, but even in glimpses, the craftsmanship is evident.
Reflections on the Blog
Each visit remains accompanied, as the church is still a live building site. This access offers privileged insight into the Project Team—the hands and minds shaping this reawakening with care and conviction.
This week, as we traced the latest progress, we spoke candidly about the blog’s momentum: its quiet inertia, its purpose, and whether it should continue. I remain hopeful. The process is compelling, and the history deserves to be narrated—not only in retrospect, but with a forward gaze, as St Mary Magdalene reawakens and weaves itself back into the life of Newark.
It will serve again: Newark’s residents, its visitors, and those who arrive as pilgrims—testament to the people who chose to save this building, and to the legacy they’ve entrusted to future generations.
The digital door has opened. I intend to keep pushing gently, narrating the life of this majestic space as it stirs, settles, and reclaims its place—not merely as a monument, but as a living place of welcome, witness, and quiet transformation.