Church Of St Matthew

Church of St Matthew is a church with elements dating back to the 12th century, extensively altered in the 15th and 18th centuries, and significantly restored in the mid-19th century by William Butterfield. The church is constructed from roughly dressed sandstone and coursed sandstone rubble, with slate and stone flag roofs.

The building comprises a west tower; a 3-bay aisled nave with clerestory; and a chancel with a north organ chamber and vestry. The west tower features a narrow round-headed light on the south face to the lowest stage, and another on the west face to the second stage. Paired round-headed bell openings with shafts beneath pointed hood-moulds are found on each face, with a quatrefoil pierced into the tympanum of each opening except for the one to the south. A chamfered string course runs to the third stage, topped by a corbel table and an embattled parapet with stone waterspouts.

A buttressed porch with an embattled gable to the south contains a chamfered round arch with a small canopied niche above. The south door has Gothick-arched tracery. A square-arched window of 3 trefoil-headed lights is located to the east, with a gabled dwarf angle buttress. Similar 2-light windows are found in the clerestory, beneath an embattled parapet over a moulded eaves cornice. The north wall, largely rebuilt during the 1855 restoration, features a pointed north door and grouped foiled lights to the west. The north clerestory windows mirror those on the south. The chancel's south wall has two windows with 3 foiled lights beneath 2-centred arches, with centre and diagonal buttresses including offsets. The restored west window is of 3 foiled lights with trefoils above, a quatrefoil, and a pointed hood-mould, accompanied by a chamfered sill band. The west end has a coped gable, a bellcote, and a cross. The east end of the nave similarly features a coped gable, a bellcote, and a cross.

Inside, the tower arch is pointed, with imposts chamfered on the lower side. A north arcade of 3 double-chamfered pointed arches rises on cylindrical piers with moulded bell capitals; the responds are raised on octagonal bases. The south arcade comprises 2 double-chamfered 2-centred arches on octagonal piers. A double-chamfered pointed chancel arch, and a similar opening to the organ chamber north of the chancel, are also present. The octagonal pulpit incorporates Jacobean carved panelling. An octagonal font, also by William Butterfield, stands within the church. Monuments include a white marble Baroque sarcophagus to Richard Osbaldeston (Dean of York and Bishop of London, died 1764) by Lovell in the sanctuary's north wall; a sarcophagus with a pediment and obelisk above to Elizabeth Osbaldeston (died 1748) in the chancel's south wall; a tablet to Charles Wright (died 1787) by Chambers of Scarborough in the south aisle; and a tablet to Huntriss Pierson (died 1796) by Chambers of Scarborough in the tower.