The following page contains information about the history of St Matthew's. Any words that are underlined can be clicked on to view a photo of the item in question.
The district of Saint Matthew's was formed from Saint John's parish and endowed with £200 per year by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in November 1869. There was no building until the purchase by Father Daunt, the first Vicar, of an iron church. It was erected on the site now occupied by Saint Anne's Convent at the top of Summerhill Grove and opened on 1st May 1870.
From this date, a site was sought for a more substantial building. When Saint Paul's parish decided that they wished to move the Vicarage nearer to their church, the land at the top of Westgate Hill was acquired and the foundation stone was laid on 1 st May 1878 by Percy G B Westmacott.
The site was house-shaped, which is why the Saint Matthew's is almost square (92' x 88'). The roof drops down five levels to detract from the square feeling. The space is very versatile and has been used for several film sets.
The design was by one of Newcastle's most interesting 19 th century architects, R J Johnson from the firm of Austin, Johnson & Hicks. He had many friends in the arts and crafts movement across the country, giving him unlimited advice and information on which to draw. The contractor was J & W Lowery.
Built in the Perpendicular style, the chancel was to be 32' by 25'; the nave 64' by 25' with double aisles on either side. It was anticipated that it would accommodate seven hundred people. The vestries were to be under the church. The building would be completed by a lofty tower, 24' square.
At the consecration by Dr Lightfoot, the Bishop of Durham, in 1880, the sanctuary was complete with a permanent roof, but no stonework around the Altar. The easternmost end of the nave and aisles were complete and covered with a rough wood and slate roof, resting on unfinished pillars; the back wall was brick.
In 1883, after the sudden death of Father Daunt at the vicarage in Winchester Terrace at only forty-four years old, the next Vicar, Father Churchyard, continued the fundraising for the completion of the Church. In 1886, the building committee undertook the task of finishing the existing portion of the church, nave and base of the tower.
The foundation stone of the tower was laid by Percy Westmacott in 1887. With Johnson now dead, the tower was designed by Hicks and Charlewood. Breaking through the west wall in 1895, it started to rise sheer from the street. The castellation and pinnacles are still and important feature of the city skyline. By 1905, the work was finished.
On the original plans, the tower was situate at the south-west corner of the church and the stairs start there. The tower was actually built in the centre of the west wall, leaving access to be gained, after the first staircase, across the south aisle roof in the open air, before reaching the shelter of the tower. There is a plaque on the West wall to John Tote Lotherington. He was the husband of Dorothy Naters, whose father, Ralph of the Sandyford Brewery, paid for the tower and bells his daughter's memory.
The bells were said to be the heaviest ring of eight in Europe. After ringing for a number of years, the tower sway began to cause concern and they rested silent until 1970s when the surveyor and architect decided that they were safe to ring after all.
To help stop the movement of the tower, the bells were lowered down a level. This was not an easy task, owing to the weight of the bells and the concrete floor that had to be removed. The work was executed by Frederick Pembleton of Derbyshire and the bells rededicated by Bishop Peter Selby on 7 th March 1993.
The interior of the church is of red sandstone, which is thought to have come from Scotland since none is locally available. The breadth of the aisles easily accommodates processions, which was probably intentional, since Johnson's loyalties were firmly with the catholic renewal of the Church of England.
The capitals on the nave pillars are more decorated the closer they are to the sanctuary and the ceiling bosses are carved with "M".
The Crypt originally housed the sacristies, hence the rather grand staircase. Nowadays its function is rather more utilitarian.
There are five windows by George Eamer Kempe.
The East window is a Jesse Window . In a time when the Liturgy and inscriptions were in Latin and the majority of people could not read, stained glass was used to illustrate Biblical stories. The Jesse Window gives the genealogy of Christ - it is His family tree.
The window at the East of the Lady Chapel and three of the windows in the South wall are also by Kempe.
The Clerestory windows on the south side picture some of the saints of Northumberland. Two of them are memorials to Thomas and Marianne Atkinson and their granddaughter, Henrietta.
Two of the windows in the North Clerestory are memorials of Ann Jopling, a member of the Church from the opening of the iron building until her death until 1898.
The window above the Southwest door is a memorial to the I'Anson family. The family, who, at the time of the construction of the church lived in Arthur's Hill and then at Westgate Hill house, provided the finance for the north aisles.
The font is thought to date from 1895. The cover was brought from Saint Cuthbert's. It used to be raised and lowered until the insurance company lost its nerve and it is now fixed, hovering above the font.
The fittings in the Sanctuary, including the reredos, were made by Hicks and Charlewood to Johnson's designs in memory of the architect. They were given by his family, who found the plans and designs just after his death. The reredos is not unlike that in the Cathedral.
The stonework around the chancel, including the pulpit and gates, were installed in memory of Father Churchyard, the second Vicar, who died in 1905.
Between the choir-stalls there is a memorial to Father Daunt, which includes the marble inlay in the floor.
The lectern dates from 1900.
The Organ has always in the Northeast corner of the church. The console used to stand separately between the choir-stalls and the pulpit.
The present organ was purchased in the 1980s from a church in Cheshire that was slowly sinking into a salt mine. It was built by the Organ Builders, Nigel Church, and the console was moved to its present position.
Home page: http://stmatthewsnewcastle.org.uk/