St Matthew's Church, Duddeston and Nechells facts for kids

St Matthew's Church, Duddeston and Nechells is an old church in Birmingham, England. It is a Grade II listed building, which means it's important and protected. It belongs to the Church of England.

History of St Matthew's Church

Building the Church

The church was designed by an architect named William Thomas. He was from Leamington Spa. The very first stone for the church was placed in October 1839. The church was officially opened and blessed in October 1840. The Bishop of Worcester led the ceremony.

St Matthew's was built to help out St Peter and Paul's Church, Aston. It was like a "daughter church" to it. This church was the first of five new churches built by the Birmingham Church Building Society. This group helped build churches where they were needed.

Changes Over the Years

In 1866, more space was needed for people to sit. So, J.A. Chatwin added special balconies called galleries inside the church. This made room for more people. The church also had some repair work done in 1883 to keep it in good shape.

Over time, the area around the church changed. Some parts of its parish (the area it serves) were used to create new parishes for other churches. For example, in 1868, a new parish for St Lawrence's Church, Duddeston was made. When St Lawrence's closed in 1951, its area became part of St Matthew's parish again. The same thing happened with St Anne's Church, Duddeston in 1898. When St Anne's closed in 1951, its parish also rejoined St Matthew's.

Modern Use of the Church

In 1994, the church building was updated. It was changed into a place that could be used for many different things. A special area was kept for church services, which can hold about 250 people. The rest of the building was made into offices and spaces for community activities. This means the church is still a busy and important part of the local area today.