Church of St Mary Magdelene

Church of St Mary Magdalene in Tallarn Green is a Victorian parish church in the Wrexham area of north-east Wales, close to the English border. It is a Grade II listed building, recognised as a good and unfussy example of a Gothic Revival village church.

What is the history of the church?

The church was built in the early 1870s, with the Kenyon family named as its benefactors. It replaced a modest wooden chapel that had served the community since 1851. The Bishop of St Asaph consecrated the new building on 16 October 1878, and at that stage it functioned as a district church within the large parish of Hanmer.

Tallarn Green gained its own parish in the Diocese of St Asaph on 24 January 1880. From then on, the church stood at the centre of local religious life for the small settlement and the farms around it.

Why is the building listed?

Cadw, the Welsh heritage body, listed the church in 2008. The reasons are its restrained Gothic Revival design, typical of rural Victorian church building, and its association with a wider group of buildings connected to the nearby estate. Rather than showing off, the church offers a coherent, modest example of how a country congregation of the period built for worship.

Is there stained glass to see?

Yes. The church is recorded in the Welsh stained glass catalogue. It contains windows by the well-known London firm Clayton & Bell, dating to around 1880, and a later window by Trena Cox from 1970. For anyone interested in church glass, the two windows show nearly a century of changing style within one small building.

Does it have a literary link?

It does. The Welsh poet R. S. Thomas served as curate here from 1940 to 1942, early in his career in the Church in Wales. Admirers of his poetry often seek out the places where he worked, and Tallarn Green is one of the earliest of them.

Can you go inside?

The church closed for regular worship in July 2007, so you should not count on finding it open. Check locally before planning a visit specifically to see the interior. The exterior and the churchyard setting can still be appreciated from the road.

Frequently asked questions

Where is it? In Tallarn Green, in the Wrexham county borough, a short distance from the Wales-England border.

What style is it? Gothic Revival, in a simple village form.

Is it still an active church? No. Regular services ended in 2007.

Who is the famous curate? The poet R. S. Thomas, who served here between 1940 and 1942.

What is the listing grade? Grade II, awarded in 2008.

Who funded it? The Kenyon family are recorded as the benefactors.

Why visit? For quiet Victorian architecture, Clayton & Bell glass and the poetic connection, ideally as part of a slow drive through the borderlands between Wrexham and Shropshire.