St Matthew's, Bayswater facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Matthew's, Bayswater
Location	St. Petersburgh Place, Bayswater, London, W2 4LA
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Active
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade II* listed

St Matthew's Church is a beautiful old church in Bayswater, London. It belongs to the Church of England. You can find it on St. Petersburgh Place, close to the New West End Synagogue and the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia. This church is very special because it's a Grade II* listed building. This means it's an important historical place. It was built in the Victorian Gothic revival style, which looks like old medieval castles and cathedrals.

Building a Historic Church

St Matthew's Church was built a long time ago, in 1880. The person who designed it was a London architect named John Johnson. He lived from 1843 to 1919.

Some of the amazing stained glass windows in the church were probably made by a famous company called Morris & Co. They were known for their beautiful designs. The church also has a large organ made by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd, a well-known organ builder.

The money to build this grand church came from a wealthy man named John Derby Allcroft. He lived at Stokesay Court in Shropshire and helped fund several churches in London. St Matthew's was finished in 1882. It replaced an older church called Bayswater Chapel, which was built in 1818. Many people came to the new church to hear Archdeacon James Hunter speak. He had just returned from working as a missionary with the Cree people in Canada.

Church Life Today

Even today, St Matthew's Church often uses the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) for its services. This is an older, traditional prayer book. Many churches now use a more modern book called Common Worship, but St Matthew's keeps some of its older traditions.

Famous People Connected to St Matthew's

Many interesting people have been part of St Matthew's Church over the years:

• Rennie MacInnes, who later became the Bishop of Jerusalem, worked here as a curate (a type of assistant priest) from 1896 to 1899.
• Sidney Nowell Rostron, who was once the head of St John's College in Durham, served as the vicar (the main priest) of St Matthew's from 1922 to 1933.
• Hugh Gough was the vicar from 1939 to 1946. He later became a very important church leader, the Archbishop of Sydney and Primate of Australia.
• Edward John Bolus was a deacon (another type of church minister) here in 1926.
• The composer Felix Swinstead was the organist during World War 2. He even wrote a special piece of music called a Te Deum for the church choir in 1941.

Images for kids

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  East face: spire and its tower, viewed aslant in Autumn sunlight

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  In Summer, shaded by foliage of street trees