St Matthew's Church, Wigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Matthew's Church, Wigan
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OS grid reference	SD 555,038
Location	Billinge Road, Highfield, Wigan, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Matthew, Highfield, Wigan
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Matthew
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	11 July 1983
Architect(s)	Paley, Austin and Paley, Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1892
Completed	1910
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, tiled roof
Administration
Parish	Wigan West
Deanery	Wigan
Archdeaconry	Wigan and West Lancashire
Diocese	Liverpool
Province	York

St Matthew's Church is a beautiful church located in Highfield, a part of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it's a local church for the community. This church is very special and is listed as a Grade II* listed building, which means it's an important historical building.

History of St Matthew's Church

St Matthew's Church was built a long time ago, between 1892 and 1894. It was designed by a famous team of architects from Lancaster called Paley, Austin and Paley.

Who Built the Church?

The church was paid for by Colonel Henry Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell. He owned the Pemberton Colliery, which was a coal mine. He built the church to remember his wife, Beatrice, who had passed away in 1884.

Building Costs and Changes

Building the church cost a lot of money, over £10,000 back then. This would be worth a huge amount today! Later, between 1909 and 1910, the main part of the church (the nave) and the south side aisle were made longer by the architects Austin and Paley. In 1917, a special stone screen behind the altar, called a reredos, was added. It was designed by Harry Paley and served as another memorial to Colonel Blundell.

Architecture and Design

St Matthew's Church has a unique and interesting design.

Outside the Church

The church is built from red sandstone from Runcorn and has a red tiled roof. Its style is called Early English, which is a type of Gothic Revival style.

Church Layout

The church has a main area called a nave. It also has side sections called aisles on the north and south sides. There's a porch at the north entrance. On the sides, there are parts that stick out, called transepts. The area near the altar is called the chancel.

The Tower and Spire

Above the middle of the church, where the nave and transepts meet (the crossing), there is a tall tower with a pointed top called a spire. The tower has a small stair turret on one side. It has two levels, with a decorative band (a string course) between them. The top level has openings with wooden slats (called louvred bell openings) for the bells. The top edge of the tower (the parapet) has steps, and the spire is octagonal with small windows (lucarnes). All around the church, you can see narrow, tall windows called lancets.

Inside the Church

When you go inside, you'll see rows of arches called arcades that separate the main area from the side aisles.

Special Areas Inside

• The north transept has a Lady chapel, which is a small chapel often dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
• The south transept holds the organ, in a space called the organ loft.
• Near the altar, on the south side of the chancel, there's a special seat for the clergy called a sedilia.

Furnishings and Stained Glass

Many of the church's features, like the reredos (the screen behind the altar), the font (where baptisms happen), and the pulpit (where sermons are given), were designed by the same architects. The church also has beautiful stained glass windows. The large window at the east end was made in 1917 by Hardmans. They also made windows in the north aisle and transept in the 1920s. Later, three more windows were added between 1976 and 1992, designed by an artist named Harold Harvey.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
• Listed buildings in Wigan
• List of works by Paley, Austin and Paley