Church of St Matthew

The Church of St Matthew is a Grade II listed building located in Hayfield. Its foundations date back to 1386, with the tower constructed in 1793. The church was rebuilt between 1817 and 1818 by architects Bradbury and Rangeley, and the tower was raised in 1894. The structure is made of coursed, squared gritstone with quoins and features flush gritstone dressings. It has a coved cornice and embattled stone parapets. The church includes a nave with galleries, an integral western tower, and a small eastern chancel bay.

On the exterior, the south elevation has four steps leading to a wide doorcase with moulded imposts and a keystone, featuring double studded doors. To the east, there are four tripartite windows with intersecting tracery. The west elevation showcases a central, slightly advanced, five-stage tower with a semi-circular headed window featuring a projecting keystone, imposts, and sill, along with leaded lights. Above this window is a similar one, and a stringcourse band runs at the base of twin semi-circular headed bell openings with Y tracery. The fifth stage has clock faces on all sides, topped with a coved stringcourse and embattled parapets with finials. The tower's sides have blank walls, and there is a modern extension at the north-west corner. The north wall mirrors the south, while the east elevation features an advanced central bay with a large window displaying plain panel tracery.

Inside, the church has wooden galleries with fielded panels on the north, south, and west sides, supported by thin quatrefoil cast iron columns and corbels decorated with flowerheads. A moulded pointed arch leads to the chancel. Original box pews are located under the north and south galleries, and the area beneath the western gallery is boxed off.

The church contains late 19th-century stained glass in the lower nave windows and chancel. A notable wall memorial to John Hague, dated 1786, is made of white marble with an inscribed plaque set in yellow marble. The white marble surround is carved with classical motifs, including a classical cornice above topped with a bust by Bacon. Below, in the crypt, are bases and part columns from the 1386 church.