St Matthew's Church, Sheffield

The church was built in the middle of the 19th century for the newly established St Matthews parish which was created when the original Sheffield parish was subdivided into smaller parts in 1848. The first vicar J.F. Witty conducted the parish's early services in a school on Carver Street. Within a few years sufficient funds had been raised to build a permanent place of worship. Land was purchased on Carver Street for £600 and the foundation stone for the church was laid on 1 June 1854 with the construction being carried out by Flockton & Son. The building was consecrated on 6 June 1855 by the Archbishop of York Thomas Musgrave. The church which has been described as "a neat building with a…

There is an octagonal tower with a tall spire on top at the front (west) end of the church which contains one bell, with the main entrance below on Carver Street. There are three main stained glass windows, the east window which dates from 1886 depicts the Incarnation and includes St Matthew and other saints in its design. It is by J. D. Sedding who re-designed the east end of the church at the same time, putting in a new chancel. The two west windows are by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake and date from 1902, other lighting in the church is by clerestory windows. The altar and reredos are also by Sedding with carvings by Frank Tory and a centrepiece painting of the Adoration by Nathaniel…

The parish of St Matthew's has a growing resident population (pop: 5,690), and is a busy church serving a lively city centre. It is now surrounded by the Devonshire Quarter of Sheffield, an area of independent retail outlets, pubs and bars with a large student population. The church is open daily for services, visitors and private prayer. The parish stands in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England. As it takes a traditionalist view on the ordination of women, the parish receives Alternative Episcopal Oversight from the Bishop of Beverley (currently The Rt Revd Stephen Race).