St Matthew's Church, Haslington

Church in Cheshire, England

53°06′04″N 2°23′36″W / 53.10110°N 2.39328°W / 53.10110; -2.39328OS grid referenceSJ 737 564LocationHaslington, CheshireCountryEnglandDenominationAnglicanWebsiteSt Matthew, HaslingtonHistoryStatusParish churchDedicationSt MatthewArchitectureFunctional statusActiveHeritage designationGrade IIDesignated12 January 1967Architect(s)Reginald T. LongdenArchitectural typeChurchGroundbreaking1810Completed1909SpecificationsMaterialsBrown brick with slate roofAdministrationProvinceYorkDioceseChesterArchdeaconryMacclesfieldDeaneryNantwichParishHaslingtonClergyVicar(s)Revd, Dr. Patricia Jane Lloyd

St Matthew's Church is in the village of Haslington, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.^[1] It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Nantwich. Its benefice is combined with that of St Michael and All Angels, Crewe Green.^[2]

History

The authors of the Buildings of England series describe this as a church of "two builds", both of which are "handsome". The west part was built in 1810. The east end was built in 1909 and was designed by Reginald T. Longden.^[3]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built in brown brick with a slate roof. Its plan consists of a three-bay nave and a chancel. The entrance is at the west end through a gabled porch. The doors are in a semicircular arched doorway above which is a lunette window, and over that is a clock face in the tympanum. On the top of the gable and slightly recessed is a timber louvred bell turret with a lead ogee cupola. The nave windows have semicircular heads. The flat-headed east window has seven lights.^[1]

Interior

The reredos is in oak and has a frieze with a grapevine motif. The carved communion rail is in Gothic style. The nave walls have wainscotting to a dado height.^[1] The organ was built in 1900 in Steele and Keay, and rebuilt in 1967 by Reeves.^[4]

External features

The churchyard contains seven war graves, comprising four soldiers and two Royal Navy sailors of World War I, and a soldier of World War II.^[5]

Train driver Wally Oakes, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his gallantry in ensuring the safety of his passengers, is buried in the churchyard.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Historic England, "The Church of St Matthew, Haslington (1312885)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 1 August 2012
^ Haslington, St Matthew, Church of England, retrieved 9 October 2009
^ Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 391–392, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
^ "NPOR [D04428]", National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 1 July 2020
^ HASLINGTON (ST. MATTHEW) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 3 February 2013
^ Courtney, Geoff (8 February 2018). "Hero steam train driver's memorial unveiled". Heritage Railway (238). Horncastle: Mortons Media Ltd. ISSN 1466-3562.