Church Heritage Record 611121

5-bay aisled nave, west narthex, 3-bay chancel with south choir vestry block and north vestry/organ chamber.

Nave c 15m (50ft) x 5m, Chancel c 8m long.

Rugby developed from a small medieval market town mentioned in Domesday Book to a larger industrial one from the 1830s with the arrival of the railways and expansion of local industry, and the growth of the school. The church was built in 1841 as a chapel-of-ease to the medieval parish church of St Andrew.  It was designed by R C Hussey, Rickman’s partner, who continued the practice after the latter retired.  The land was given by the Revd Dr Bloxham, Assistant Master at the School, and the family were the first patrons of the church. 

Galleries were added around 1846, and then the west narthex and gables to the aisles were added allowing an extension of the galleries. There is therefore little left externally of the original design.  The pews in the nave were replaced in 1902. The chancel was built in 1914 after the parish bought and demolished the shops which until then had enclosed the church on this side, and a vestry block along the south-east side was added (with a wall extended around the east side in brick at some point in recent years to provide toilets etc), and a vestry/organ chamber to the north.

The east bay of the north aisle was converted into a war memorial chapel in 1920 in memory of the boys from nearby Oakfield School who had worshipped there, in 1949 it was rededicated as a war memorial chapel for the whole parish. The interior has been radically reordered in recent years to better serve the evangelical ethos of the church, particularly the chancel and the narthex, the latter screened off in 1971. Details are given in the description below.

St Matthew’s is a lancet church, still in the naïve pre-archaeological Gothic Revival version of the Early English style. The long chancel is perhaps more correct, but sits uncomfortably with the rest of the building, which is rather squat with little vertical emphasis despite the presence of a gabled belcote at the west end. It presents on its show side to the road a row of cross-gables over the aisle, such also to the west end and north aisle. 

The articulation of the aisles is unusual, with paired cusped lancets to each bay and a single large lancet above forming a clearstorey to light the galleries, all with plain hoodmoulds. The west bay of the aisles has two smaller lancets stepped up to the east, obviously to light the stair to the internal galleries. Adjacent to this are pointed doorways in the end walls of the lean-to narthex, again originally to give access to the galleries.

The narthex west wall has an arcade of five double-cusped lights either side of a gabled porch (which only projects vertically) with an entrance articulated as a 2-light plate tracery window.  This has four quatrefoils to a roundel in the head and filigree carving to the spandrels, and a pointed surround of two orders with colonettes under a hoodmould to head stops. The clearstorey of the west façade behind this is articulated as the aisles with three roofs, the belcote rising from the central gable. There are small foiled openings in the end gables.

The south aspect of the chancel is almost hidden from view from ground level by the long block of the vestry, which is set at an angle to it and effectively cuts off the south-east end, with a small yard enclosed within. It has groups of narrow plain lancets in its outer wall, and a stone plaque inscribed with the year of its build, 1914.  The chancel behind has five lancets to the south side wall under a continuous hoodmould. The east gable of the south aisle has a single lancet, encroached upon by the chancel. The west bay of the chancel on the north is taken up by the organ chamber. The east window is a stepped 3-light lancet window with hoodmould.

Moving to the interior, the church is painted yellow with blue in the chancel, only the arcades exposed stone, the arches white, pointed and plain. The panelled roof is painted light blue, red carpets. Good stained glass in the chancel east end window and the aisle windows impart more colour. The arcades are carried on alternate round columns and octagonal piers, with tall pointed arches across the aisles springing from plain moulded capitals.

The galleries have panelled fronts, the rail pierced with an arcade of short cusped lancets, again painted yellow.  The original 1840s pews are preserved here, as well as a small table of this time.  They have curved ends, some are still numbered. There are sections with smaller pews on each side, which were apparently installed for boys from the school who worshipped here while the school chapel was being built in the 1870s. The organ pipes are displayed at the east end of the north gallery and to the chancel.

The main body of the church has been much altered in recent years.  The pews in the nave have panelled backs and rounded ends, not of particular quality.  The eastern bay of the nave has been cleared and a platform now extends from the chancel across this area.