St Matthew's Church, Sheffield

St Matthew's, or more commonly known as St Matthew's Carver Street (for its location on Carver Street), is a busy Anglo-Catholic church in Sheffield serving a lively city centre. The sanctuary was built in the middle of the 19th century, and was consecrated on 6 June 1855.

In its early years, St Matthew's was surrounded by a highly populated district of slum housing, which is a stark contrast to today's Devonshire Quarter, an area of independent retail outlets, pubs and bars, with a large student population.

At the turn of the 20th century, the church was a focal point for teaching and practice of the Catholic Revival in the Church of England. It was described as "a neat building with a graceful spire" for its octagonal bell tower, at the front (west) end, topped with a tall spire.

Next to the main entrance, on Carver Street, there is a war memorial plaque listing local worshipers and parishioners who gave their lives in World War I. Just above the door is a Crucifixion statue. During the Second World War the temple remained unscathed despite many buildings in the immediate vicinity being damaged; in the Sheffield Blitz of December 1940, the local parish also suffered casualties.

The church has three main stained glass windows, depicting the Incarnation and the images of St Matthew and other saints, dated from 1886 to 1902. Inside, the altar and reredos are by J. D. Sedding with carvings by Frank Tory and a centrepiece painting of the Adoration by Nathaniel Westlake. The interior is richly furnished with many of the designs by Henry Wilson.

The church organ dates from 1992, and is made in the classic British style by Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn, based on the early work of master organ maker Bernard Smith.