History
The church of St Matthew was first built in 1821–1822, as a chapel-of-ease within the parish of Hawarden. The architect was John Oates of Halifax, and the greater part of the funding was supplied by a grant of £4,052 from the Church Commissioners. Between 1898 and 1904, Oates’s ‘plain but handsome Gothic structure’ was rebuilt in a number of stages, a project that resulted in the present building, an edifice of far greater originality and artistic merit, in which the influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement is clearly evident.
For the first fifty-two years of its existence St Matthew’s remained under the authority of the rector of Hawarden, being looked after by a resident curate-in-charge. In 1874, however, the creation of the parish of Buckley and the appointment of the first vicar, endowed it with the status of a parish church. The building remained substantially unchanged until the incumbency of Harry Drew, who was appointed vicar in 1897. Drew was the husband of Mary Gladstone, and son-in-law of four-times Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone of Hawarden Castle. It was the Drews who were responsible for rebuilding the church and raising the necessary funds. The Chester practice of Douglas and Minshull acted as architects throughout and also designed much of the furniture.
In 1898 the vestry was replaced by a much larger structure to accommodate both clergy and choir. William Gladstone’s death in the same year prompted the Drews to rebuild the chancel as a memorial to him, an undertaking carried out in 1900–1901. Following immediately upon completion of the chancel came the remodelling of the tower. The upper stage was taken down, the building was refenestrated, a new peal of eight bells, installed, and a baptistery created at ground-floor level in memory of William Gladstone’s widow, Catherine (who died in 1900). A porch dedicated to John Ruskin (who also died in 1900) was added to the south side of the tower, being financed through the publication of Ruskin’s letters to Mary Drew. The final phase in the reconstruction of the church was the replacement of the nave in 1904, which included the addition of aisles, organ chamber and clerestory.
Many of the fixtures, fittings and movables date from the rebuilding of 1898–1904 and include stained glass by Henry Holiday, carved woodwork by Herbert Read of Exeter and copper and enamel work by Robert Hilton of Chester.
Guide books of St Matthew’s Church
Buckley Parish Church 1822-1972 by J. Clifford Jones (1974)
74 pages, 7 black and white illustrations.
Price £7.50
Written to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the church, this booklet includes a history and sections on the church plate, stained glass windows, wall tablets and inscriptions, mural paintings, the bells, the passing bell, the clock, the organ, miscellaneous inscriptions, and banners. There are also lists of rectors of Hawarden, curates in charge of Buckley, vicars of Buckley parish, assistant curates, church wardens, parish clerks, organists, lay readers, and officials of the parochial church council.
Church of St Matthew, Buckley, 1822-2022 by Malcolm Hislop (2022).
100 pages, 14 black and white and 57 colour illustrations.
Price £10
Published to mark the bicentenary of St Matthew’s, the 2022 guidebook contains a historical narrative which brings the story up to date, together with a description of
the church, its fixtures, fittings and ornaments. The illustrations include a phase plan, historic photographs from the St Matthew’s archive, photographs of all the
stained glass windows, and of significant ornaments and furniture. All historical
sources are listed, and transcripts of documents are given in a number of appendices.
These two guide books to the church of St Matthew are available to buy either individually at the prices stated above, or at £15 for both. Post and packing extra: £2.95 Royal Mail tracked, or can be collected free of charge from Buckley.
There is necessarily a degree of overlap between the two publications, but they are essentially complementary.
Order by emailing history@stmatthewsbuckley.church