St Mary Magdalene's, Goldcliffe, is a medieval parish church heavily restored in an austere Decorated Gothic style in the late nineteenth century. It is traditionally thought to have been built in the earlier fifteenth century after the nearby Priory church, that also served the parish (see NPRN 307861), was damaged by storms in 1424. However, the surviving medieval fabric appears to pre-date this event. It has been suggested that the building was originally a barn.

The church consists of an undivided nave and chancel with a west tower and a south porch. The nave is dated to the twelfth century and the tower to the fourteenth. The porch is also medieval. The fenestration of the nave and chancel appears to be nineteenth century. The castellated tower has three stages with plain arched openings. A brass in the nave commemorates a disastrous 'flud' in 1606.

The roughly square churchyard is enclosed by drainage ditches. The stump of what is thought to be a medieval cross is raised upon a small mound within the main southern entrance (NPRN 307859).

Sources: Rippon 'Gwent Levels: the Evolution of a Wetland Landscape' (1996), 82-3
CADW Listed Buildings Database (2912)

John Wiles 05.02.08