Church of St Matthew
CHURCH OF ST MATTHEW, ST MATTHEW'S ROAD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1218480
- Date first listed:
- 14-Feb-1972
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Matthew
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MATTHEW, ST MATTHEW'S ROAD
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2005-06-16
- Reference:
- IOE01/14194/19
- Rights:
- © Mr Robert W Keniston. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1218480
- Date first listed:
- 14-Feb-1972
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Matthew
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST MATTHEW, ST MATTHEW'S ROAD
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MATTHEW, ST MATTHEW'S ROAD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Torbay (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SX 90045 63720
Details
TORQUAY
SX9063 ST MATTHEW'S ROAD, Chelston 885-1/17/346 (South side) 14/02/72 Church of St Matthew
GV II*
Parish church. 1895-1904 by Nicholson and Corlette (Pevsner). Rainwater goods dated 1903. Rock-faced red sandstone with freestone dressings; top stage of tower ashlar; slate roof; crested ridge tiles. Free Gothic style. PLAN: Nave, chancel, north and south aisles; south-east tower; north-east vestry; porches on north and south sides in western bays. EXTERIOR: 5-bay aisles, buttressed with set-offs with traceried 2-light windows except for the bay adjacent to the porch on the south side which is 3-light. 5-light traceried chancel window with 2 king mullions. Chancel with 3 buttresses to east wall. Far end of south aisle flush with chancel east wall: 3-light traceried windows. 3 segmental-headed traceried windows on the east wall light church offices. To the right, the east wall of the north aisle is set back behind a flat-roofed vestry with an embattled parapet. Symmetrical west end, the nave slightly broken forward with a 4-light traceried window; 3-light windows to west end of aisles. Shallow porches, the north side porch freestone with an original panelled door; south porch sandstone with an original door with strap hinges with pierced detail. 3-stage tower with clasping buttress and projecting south-east stair turret. Belfry stage has octagonal corner turrets and large 2-light traceried louvred belfry windows with recessed stone panels below; parapet pierced with crosses. INTERIOR: The church is described in Pevsner as 'excellent work' by the firm. Very complete with high quality Arts and Crafts fittings. Snecked stone walls with rusticated stone relieving arches. 5-bay nave with open wagon roof with carved bosses, roof preserves original green stain and green white and red decoration to principal timbers. N & S arcades have octagonal piers and capitals carved with Arts and Crafts style fishes and flowers and double chamfered arches. Wide, wagon-roofed aisles. 3-bay timber chancel screen with wrought-iron panels and carved canopy. Chancel has painted wagon roof with original decoration. Single arches into organ chamber to N and vestry to S, the latter with a carved parclose screen. Timber drum pulpit with boldly-carved symbols of the evangelists. Spectacular font ensemble at W end. Font with polished granite bowl, cylindrical stem and simple octagonal corner shafts stands on flight of steps. Font cover made and given by Gerald Moira (Pevsner) with a timber cover with a circle of carved angels. Cover attached by chain to counterweight supported on a very tall trabiated, carved timber structure. On either side of the font, fine figures of St Mary and St George by F Lynn Jenkins (Pevsner) on plain granite pedestals. STAINED GLASS said to be by AK Nicholson (Pevsner) but E window signed with 2 interlocking Cs. (Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1952-1989: P.850-1).
Listing NGR: SX9004563720
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 390792
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Devon, (1989), 850-1
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South Devon, (1952), 850-1
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 05-Jun-2026 at 15:45:19.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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