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St Matthew's Church, Moorfields facts for kids

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St Matthew's Church, Moorfields
Former St Matthew's Church, Moorfields, Bristol.jpg
St Matthew's Church
General information
Town or city Bristol
Country England
Coordinates 51°27′30″N 2°33′34″W / 51.4582°N 2.5595°W / 51.4582; -2.5595
Construction started 1873
Completed 1887
Design and construction
Architect J.C. Neale

St Matthew's Church was a special church in Bristol, England. It was an Anglican parish church. This means it belonged to the Church of England. The church was located in the western part of Redfield. You could find it on Church Road, which used to be called Redfield Road. This road is also part of the A420 main road.

History of St Matthew's Church

Building the Church

St Matthew's Church was built a long time ago, in 1873. It was created to serve a new area called Moorfields. This area was formed from parts of two other church areas: St George and Easton.

The church was designed in a style called Gothic style. This style looks like old medieval churches. The architect who designed it was J.C. Neale. The main part of the church was finished in 1873. However, a section called the south aisle was not built until 1887.

Important People at the Church

Over the years, some important people worked at St Matthew's Church. One of them was Mervyn Stockwood. He was a "curate" there from 1936 to 1941. A curate is like an assistant priest. Later, he became the "vicar" of the church from 1941 to 1955. A vicar is the main priest in charge of a church. Mervyn Stockwood later became a very important church leader, the Bishop of Southwark.

Another notable person was John Robinson. He was also a curate at St Matthew's. He worked there from 1945 to 1948. This was his first job after becoming a priest. John Robinson later became the Bishop of Woolwich. He also wrote a famous book called Honest to God.

What Happened to the Church?

St Matthew's Church stopped being used as a church in 1999. After it closed, the building was changed. It was turned into apartments where people live and offices for businesses. Today, it is known as Stockwood Chambers.

The area that the church used to serve, called its "parish," is now part of a larger parish. This new parish is called St Luke with Christ Church, Barton Hill and St Matthew, Moorfields.

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