St Matthew's Church, Buckley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Matthew's Church, Buckley |
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St Matthew's Church, Buckley, from the south
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| OS grid reference | SJ 284,646 |
| Location | Buckley, Flintshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Matthew's, Buckley |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Matthew |
| Dedicated | 1822 |
| Consecrated | 25 September 1822 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 11 August 1997 |
| Architect(s) | John Oates, Douglas and Minshull (reconstruction) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1821 |
| Completed | 1905 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, with timber-framed clerestory |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Church of St Matthew, Buckley, with the Church of the Good Shepherd, Drury |
| Deanery | Borderlands |
| Archdeaconry | Wrexham |
| Diocese | St Asaph |
| Province | Church in Wales |
St Matthew's Church is a historic church located in Buckley, Flintshire, Wales. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it's a local church for the community that follows the Anglican faith. The church is an important building in the area. It is officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very special building that needs to be protected.
Contents
History of St Matthew's Church
The first church building on this spot was constructed between 1821 and 1822. It was designed by an architect named John Oates. At first, it was a "chapel-of-ease," which is a smaller church built for people who lived far from the main parish church.
Funding the First Church Building
A new law called the Church Building Act of 1818 made a lot of money available for building churches. This fund, known as the First Parliamentary Grant, gave the Buckley church project £4,052. This was most of the money needed to build the new church. St Matthew's was the only church in Wales to get money from this special fund.
Oates's design was described as a "plain but handsome Gothic structure." We know a lot about how it looked from old documents and parts of the building that still exist. It had a tall tower, a main hall (nave), a short chancel (the area around the altar), and smaller rooms. Some parts of this first church, like the lower sections of the tower, are still part of the building today.
Becoming a Parish Church
In 1874, Buckley became its own parish, and St Matthew's became its main church. The church building stayed mostly the same until Harry Drew became the vicar in 1897. He was married to Mary Gladstone, whose father was William Ewart Gladstone, a famous Prime Minister.
In 1898, Harry Drew started a big project to rebuild and improve the church. He paid for a larger vestry, which is a room where clergy and choir members prepare.
Rebuilding and Memorials
When William Gladstone died in 1898, his daughters, Mary Drew and Helen Gladstone, paid to rebuild the chancel (the altar area) of the church. This new chancel was dedicated to their father.
In 1902, the church tower was updated. It was made shorter, new windows were added, and a baptistry (a place for baptisms) was created inside it. This was a memorial to Catherine Gladstone, William's wife, who had died in 1900.
A porch was also added to the south side of the tower. It was called the Ruskin Porch. Mary Drew paid for it by publishing letters written by John Ruskin, a friend of the Gladstone family. The final part of the church's reconstruction was replacing the nave (the main seating area) in 1904. This included adding side aisles and a clerestory (an upper part of the wall with windows). The architects for all this rebuilding work were Douglas and Minshull from Chester.
Architecture of St Matthew's
The church's design combines elements of Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts styles. It is built from stone with a special timber-framed upper section called a clerestory. The roof was originally made of green slate.
Church Exterior Features
The church has a three-part tower on the west side. It also has a main hall (nave) and choir area with side aisles and a clerestory. There's a chancel with many sides, a porch on the southwest, and rooms for the organ and boiler on the southeast. On the northeast side, there are vestries.
Inside the Church: Fittings and Furniture
Most of the items inside the rebuilt church were designed by Douglas and Minshull. Many pieces are made of oak wood.
- Cabinet Work: Items like benches, collection boxes, and an umbrella stand were made by Guest and Wardle of Chester.
- Carved Work: Detailed carvings on the font cover, pulpit, lectern, and choir stalls were done by Herbert Reed of Exeter.
- Altar Table: This important piece was made by the building contractors, Parker brothers.
- Seating: The main seating in the nave consists of chairs linked together in groups.
There are also beautiful works by Robert Hilton, an artist from Chester. These include:
- Copper altar cross and candlesticks.
- An oak altar desk and hymn board with copper decorations.
- A special gold-embroidered altar cloth with enamel details.
Below the clerestory windows, you can see murals from 1910. These paintings show the Beatitudes (blessings from the Bible). They were designed by Minshull and Muspratt and painted by Robert and Henry Ellis.
Many of the stained glass windows were created by Henry Holiday. Other windows were made by H. J. Stammers and C. Ford Whitcombe.
Church Organ and Bells
The church has a two-manual organ built in 1905 by John Bishop & Sons. It has been repaired twice, in 1959 and 1990. There is also a ring of eight bells. These bells were made in 1902 by John Taylor & Sons and were given to the church by Mrs. Drew.
External Features of St Matthew's
Outside the church, there are several interesting features.
Lychgate and Calvary
At the entrance to the churchyard, there is a lychgate. This is a covered gateway, made of timber, and it's also a Grade II listed building. It was built in 1901 by Douglas and Minshull to celebrate the end of the millennium.
Near the lychgate is a Calvary, which is a cross with a figure of Christ. It was put up in 1921 to remember those who died in World War I (1914-1918). It was made by stonemason Edward Thompson.
Churchyard House
At the bottom of the churchyard, you'll find Churchyard House. This brick building was designed by Douglas and Minshull in 1898. It was built to store a wheeled bier, which is a frame used to carry a coffin.
See also
