Church Of St Matthew With St Mary

698-1/0/11155 CLEVELAND ROAD 09-MAY-03 Crumpsall Church of St Matthew with St Mary

II

Church. 1908-10. By Isaac Taylor. Rock-faced ashlar with ashlar dressings to exterior and buff brick with ashlar dressings to interior. Late Perpendicular style. Chancel, chancel transepts, north vestry, nave with aisles, west baptistery and entrance and north west tower. Short chancel has 5-light east window and a lancet to either side with another in the canted corner joining it to the transepts. 3-light window to south transept gable and mandela to north over the projecting vestry. 3- and 4-light clerestory windows with cusped lights under Tudor arches. Aisle windows of 2- and 3-lights. West end has a 3-light window with a cusped lancet either side at a lower level over the projecting baptistery which has a small cusped window at the centre, a 2-light to left and door to right. The tower has angle buttresses with set-offs, paired 2-light louvred openings to the top stage and small windows below. Adjoining the baptistery a polygonal stair turret rises to the second stage. Entrance in north side. INTERIOR. Chancel and nave in one has tie beam truss roof with short queen posts and arched braces and cranked collars linking the 2 tiers of purlins. Nave arcades with 2-centred arches on octagonal piers. Unusual arrangement of arch at east end of chancel leading into sanctuary with windows on the canted corners and further windows lighting the sanctuary from the sides. Richly patterned Renaissance style stained glass in chancel, transepts, west wall and baptistery windows. Fine set of choir stalls and pews with panelling to chancel and baptistery. A finely designed church of the period with rich and virtually complete fittings, a very unusual feature being the design of the chancel.