St Matthew's Church, Chadderton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Matthew
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
District	Diocese of Manchester
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Parish church
Location
Location	Chadderton, Greater Manchester, England
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1857
Spire(s)	1
Website
St Matthew and St Luke

St. Matthew's Church is a special building in Chadderton, Greater Manchester, England. It's a Church of England parish church, which means it's part of the main Christian church in England. This church is also a 'Grade II listed building,' which means it's an important historical place protected by law. It belongs to the Diocese of Manchester.

History of St. Matthew's Church

The area around St. Matthew's Church became its own church district, called a parish, in 1844. Before the church building you see today, there was a small wooden chapel. This chapel was built in 1845. It helped meet the spiritual needs of the people while the main church was being built.

Work on the current church building started in 1847. A person named E. H. Shellard designed it. The church was finished and officially opened in 1857.

How the Parish Grew

When the church was first built, the parish area was very large. However, not many people lived there at first. Over the years, more and more houses were built. As the population grew, the large parish was divided into smaller ones.

Some of the new parishes created were St. Mark, St. Luke, St. Gabriel, St. Anne, and St. Matthew. Part of the original parish also joined the parish of St. Leonard. Today, the St. Matthew's parish has about 2,500 homes. Around 7,000 people live there.

The Area Around the Church

Most of the homes in the parish are semi-detached houses. There are also some detached houses and terraced homes. The area is mostly suburban, meaning it's like a town but with some green spaces. You can find small farms and protected green-belt land too.

The houses in the parish are of different ages. Some are from the 1800s, while others were built before or after World War II. There's also a housing estate from the 1970s. Most of the homes are privately owned. You can find a small shopping area and local shops nearby.

War Graves at the Church

The churchyard at St. Matthew's is a special place. It contains the graves of soldiers who died serving their country. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after these graves. There are 14 graves from World War I and 9 from World War II.

See also

• Listed buildings in Chadderton
• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• History of Oldham