About us
See our vision for the Old Schoolhouse and get to know us
For over 135 years Magdalen Road Church has been in the heart of the East Oxford community and the Old Schoolhouse marks a new chapter in our story – as it does for local area and the Victorian building itself. The Old Schoolhouse will not only be our new home, but a place for the whole community. We want it to be a vibrant hub, with our diverse and eclectic community rubbing shoulders with each other, with all the creative and relational benefits that brings. We’re inviting local charities, social enterprises and businesses to join us and make the Old Schoolhouse their East Oxford base. And there’ll be plenty of space to use for local clubs and groups, from baby and toddler groups to pilates and everything in between. You can find out more about how we’re transforming this Victorian primary school into the flexible and collaborative place we envision here.
Magdalen Road Church
Magdalen Road Church, or MRC, are a group of Christians committed to East Oxford and believe from this strategic location, we can make a difference to Oxford, the UK and the world. We don’t think we can do this in our own strength, but we believe that Jesus Christ can transform our lives and the lives of those around us. To find out more about what we believe, check out the MRC website here, or come and see us on a Sunday morning – you’d be most welcome. We’ve been looking for a place to make our new home for the last 15 years when we outgrew our small chapel on Magdalen Road and moved our main meetings to the SSMJ Primary School at the end of Bedford Street. We fill the school hall with around 170 people each Sunday – lots of children, young families, 20s and 30s, and our TOFFs (The Over Fifty-Fives!). We’ve recently moved our church office to the Old Schoolhouse and now the work has really started to develop the space to become our new home. As you can see, we’re not just making it a place for us to meet on a Sunday and throughout the week. Our vision is to create a place that embodies and encourages the dynamic and vibrant community of East Oxford that we love.
For general enquiries please use the contact form here.
Get in touchPutting a face to the name
The Old Schoolhouse project is being run by members of the Magdalen Road Church family led by a Steering Group of 16 people with many more in teams covering the design, fundraising, prayer, communications and other fun things! Pat, Liz and Dan are good people to know.
Pat is one of the trustees of MRC and is leading on the Old Schoolhouse project. He lives on Charles Street with his wife Kitty and children Naama and Nate. Kitty is on staff at Magdalen Road Church and works in counselling and pastoral care. Naama and Nate started their schooling in this building, Naama's now at Oxford Spires and Nate's still at SS Mary & John. Pat is a research associate at the University of Oxford.
Liz is a member of Magdalen Road Church and helps to coordinate the teams of volunteers working on the Old Schoolhouse project. She moved to the city in 2013 to work with university students and soon came to love East Oxford as her adopted home. Liz now works at the Oxford head office of a national Christian charity.
Dan (Pastor and elder of Magdalen Road Church) is a native Oxonian, moving away after secondary school but returning home in 2011. He has a particular love for these streets with his grandparents running a fishing tackle shop on Magdalen Road in decades past, his dad being very involved in developing the Pegasus Theatre, as well as many family members even attending this school building! He’s married to Zoe and has four kids (2 at Larkrise and 2 at Oxford Spires).