St Matthew's Church, Buckley
Encyclopedia
St Matthew's Church, Buckley, is in the town of Buckley
, Flintshire
, Wales
. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Hawarden, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
. The church is a Grade II* listed building.
. It was a Commissioner's Church and the only church in Wales to be funded from the First Parliamentary Grant. Between 1897 and 1905 a series of restoration
s and additions were carried out by the Chester
firm of architects, Douglas
and Minshull. Vestries
were added to the northeast of the church in 1897–99 and in 1900–01 a chancel
with a polygonal apse
was built. In 1902 the tower was re-modelled, reducing its height, and creating a baptistry within it. In the same year a porch was added at the southwest of the church. In 1904–05 the nave
was reconstructed, adding a clerestory
.
Much of the work on the church from 1897 onwards was paid for by members of the family of W. E. Gladstone
. The vicar of the church during this time was Canon Drew, who was married to Gladstone's daughter. Mrs Drew paid for the building of the southwest porch with money she received for publishing letters written to her by John Ruskin
.
. This is the last major work in which Douglas used timber framing.
, are also by Douglas. A pair of candlesticks was designed by William Butterfield
. Much of the stained glass is by Henry Holiday
; one of the windows in the north aisle is by H. J. Stammers and another is by C. Ford Whitcombe. The two-manual
organ was built in 1905 by John Bishop & Sons of London. It was restored in 1959 and again in 1990. The ring
consists of eight bells which were cast in 1902 by John Taylor & Sons of Loughborough and donated to the church by Mrs Drew.
Buckley
Buckley is a town and community in Flintshire, located in north-east Wales. It is situated 2 miles from the county town of Mold and is contiguous with the nearby villages of Ewloe, Alltami and Mynydd Isa...
, Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Hawarden, the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.-Geography:The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester in the east, to the Conwy valley in the west, to Bala in the south-west, and...
. The church is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The first church on the site was built in 1821–22 to a design by John OatesJohn Oates (architect)
John Oates was an architect born in Salterhebble, near Halifax, West Yorkshire. He was noted in Manchester in 1813, and it is thought that this is where he trained....
. It was a Commissioner's Church and the only church in Wales to be funded from the First Parliamentary Grant. Between 1897 and 1905 a series of restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
s and additions were carried out by the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
firm of architects, Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
and Minshull. Vestries
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
were added to the northeast of the church in 1897–99 and in 1900–01 a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with a polygonal apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
was built. In 1902 the tower was re-modelled, reducing its height, and creating a baptistry within it. In the same year a porch was added at the southwest of the church. In 1904–05 the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was reconstructed, adding a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
.
Much of the work on the church from 1897 onwards was paid for by members of the family of W. E. Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
. The vicar of the church during this time was Canon Drew, who was married to Gladstone's daughter. Mrs Drew paid for the building of the southwest porch with money she received for publishing letters written to her by John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
.
Exterior
The church is built mainly in stone. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a west tower, vestries at the northeast and a porch at the southwest. The clerestory is built in black-and-white timber framingTimber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
. This is the last major work in which Douglas used timber framing.
Fittings and furniture
Paintings designed by Douglas are in panels below the clerestory and in the baptistry. Much of the wooden furniture, including the stalls and pulpitPulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, are also by Douglas. A pair of candlesticks was designed by William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
. Much of the stained glass is by Henry Holiday
Henry Holiday
Henry Holiday was an English historical genre and landscape painter, stained glass designer, illustrator and sculptor. He is considered to be a member of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art.-Early years and training:...
; one of the windows in the north aisle is by H. J. Stammers and another is by C. Ford Whitcombe. The two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1905 by John Bishop & Sons of London. It was restored in 1959 and again in 1990. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of eight bells which were cast in 1902 by John Taylor & Sons of Loughborough and donated to the church by Mrs Drew.