Church Of St Matthew

The Church of St Matthew is a substantial church, originally dating to the early 13th century. It comprises a nave, transepts, tower, and aisles, with a late 13th century chancel. The construction is of pebbledash on clunch rubble, with stone dressings, and features plain-tile roofs to the nave and transepts, a lead roof to the chancel, and a stone slate roof to the tower.

The church’s plan incorporates a 3-bay chancel, 2-bay north and south transepts, a 4-bay aisled nave, and a west tower. A late 13th century south porch is located to the left of centre on the south aisle, featuring a plank double outer door with a 2-centred archway, and a plank inner door to a 2-centred doorway. The south aisle windows include a Y-tracery window to the left, and 2-light geometrical tracery windows to the centre and right, along with two lancets to the south end of the south transept. The north aisle has two 3-light intersecting tracery windows, and two lancets to the north end of the north transept, alongside a 3-light stone mullion window to the east side of the north transept. The chancel’s north side incorporates geometrically and reticulated tracery windows, and a 2-centred arched doorway with a plank door. The tower has a blocked doorway on its west face, with a 2-light plate tracery window above, and louvred lancets on each face of the second and third stages. A battlemented parapet sits atop the tower, supported by corbels.

Inside, the chancel features a 3-bay crown-post roof with octagonal crown posts, a 2-chamber piscina with cusped heads on columns, and ogee-headed sedilia. An early 18th century wood altar rail with barley-sugar twist balusters and a moulded hand rail is also present, along with 19th century choirstalls and panelling. The chancel arch is 2-centred with carved imposts, and is accompanied by a 13th century screen, altered in the 15th century with Perpendicular wood tracery. The north transept has a 16th century collar-truss roof. The south transept, now a vestry, is similarly roofed. The nave features a 4-bay crown-post roof and a 19th century octagonal pulpit. The north and south arcades consist of four 2-centred arches on columns. A 2-centred arch leads to the tower. A chandelier from 1766 hangs in the nave. A Romanesque stone font, covered by a 17th century wooden cover, stands in the south aisle. The aisles are covered by lean-to roofs. A north extension added around 1976 is not of architectural significance.