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St Matthew's Church, more usually known as St Matthew's Carver Street, is situated on Carver Street in the centre of
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
, South Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
Sheffield City Council website.
Information on all listed buildings within the Sheffield city boundary.
located at grid reference . The church is part of the Anglo-Catholic movement.


History

The church was built in the middle of the 19th century for the newly established St Matthews parish which was created when the original
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
parish was subdivided into smaller parts in 1848. The first vicar J.F. Witty conducted the parish's early services in a school on Carver Street. Within a few years sufficient funds had been raised to build a permanent place of worship. Land was purchased on Carver Street for £600 and the foundation stone for the church was laid on 1 June 1854 with the construction being carried out by Flockton & Son. The building was consecrated on 6 June 1855 by the Archbishop of York Thomas Musgrave. The church which has been described as "a neat building with a graceful spire" cost £3,297 to build, the main benefactor was the snuff maker Mr. Henry Wilson of Westbrook Mill who contributed £1,020, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners granted £200 and the Incorporated Church Building Society gave £250. The rest of the money was raised by Reverend Witty who was still asking for subscriptions for the last £200 in November 1856. In its early years the church had seating for 731 people which accommodated a large local congregation, the church being surrounded by a highly populated district of slum housing.''"Illustrated Guide to Sheffield"'', Pawson & Brailsford, , Page 45 Gives quote "a neat building with a graceful spire", a list of benefactors and other details. In 1882 George Campbell Ommanney became the third vicar of St Matthew's, he remained at the church for 54 years until his death in 1936. Ommanney was known as the “People’ Priest” and was close to the common people, he chose to live in the slums nearby to the church. He converted St Matthew's into a focal point for teaching and practice of the Catholic Revival in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
, he wrote his memoirs in the book ''Ommanney of Sheffield'' in the final years of his life. St Matthews remained undamaged throughout
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
although there were casualties throughout the parish as many buildings were damaged in the immediate vicinity during the Sheffield Blitz of December 1940. In August 1956 parts of the church were damaged by fire including the organ and the Lady Chapel, which had only just been restored. In 1960 the last residential houses in the parish were demolished for shops and businesses, leaving the church without a resident congregation. In the 1970s the Church was threatened by the proposal to build a major road in the area which would have meant demolition but the plans were eventually changed. In 1982 the church's two function rooms were upgraded and in 2000 the church received a major restoration externally and internally with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The internal work included the cleaning of
carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
deposits from the
reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...
and paintings, a result of Sheffield's heavy industrial past.


Present day

The parish of St Matthew's has a growing resident population (pop: 5,690), and is a busy church serving a lively city centre. It is now surrounded by the Devonshire Quarter of Sheffield, an area of independent retail outlets, pubs and bars with a large student population. The church is open daily for services, visitors and private prayer.St Matthew‘s website.
Gives history of church.
The parish stands in the Anglo-Catholic
tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...
of the Church of England. As it takes a traditionalist view on the ordination of women, the parish receives
Alternative Episcopal Oversight A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction "are unable to receive the ministry of w ...
from the Bishop of Beverley (currently The Rt Revd Stephen Race).


Architecture and the interior

There is an octagonal tower with a tall spire on top at the front (west) end of the church which contains one bell, with the main entrance below on Carver Street. There are three main stained glass windows, the east window which dates from 1886 depicts the Incarnation and includes St Matthew and other saints in its design. It is by J. D. Sedding who re-designed the east end of the church at the same time, putting in a new
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
. The two west windows are by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake and date from 1902, other lighting in the church is by clerestory windows. The altar and
reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...
are also by Sedding with carvings by Frank Tory and a centrepiece painting of the
Adoration Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, and love for a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin ''adōrātiō'', meaning "to give Homage (arts), homage or worship to someone or something". Ancient Rome In class ...
by Nathaniel Westlake. The interior is richly furnished with many of the designs by Henry Wilson. The church organ dates from 1992, it is made in the classic British style by Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn and is based on the early work of master organ maker Bernard Smith.www.goetzegwynn.co.uk.
Gives details of church organ.
Next to the main entrance is a war memorial which takes the form of a plaque listing worshippers and parishioners who gave their lives in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Just above the door is a statue of the Crucifixion. Next door to the church is St Matthew's House, a former Clergy House and Sunday School.''"Pevsner Architectural Guides - Sheffield"'', Ruth Harman & John Minnis, , Pages 124 & 125 Gives details of architecture.


See also

* List of Commissioners' churches in Yorkshire


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheffield, St Matthew St Matthew St Matthew St Matthew Churches completed in 1855 19th-century Church of England church buildings Anglo-Catholic church buildings in South Yorkshire Church of England church buildings in South Yorkshire St Matthew Commissioners' church buildings Grade II listed churches in South Yorkshire Anglo-Catholic churches in England receiving AEO