All Saints' Church, Matlock Bank Explained

All Saints’ Church, Matlock Bank
Pushpin Map:Derbyshire
Map Caption:Location within Derbyshire
Coordinates:53.1437°N -1.5553°W
Location:Matlock, Derbyshire
Country:England
Denomination:Church of England
Website:allsaintsmatlock.org.uk
Dedication:All Saints
Consecrated Date:17 September 1884
Heritage Designation:Grade II listed
Architect:Thomas Henry Healey
Groundbreaking:31 August 1882
Completed Date:15 April 1884
Parish:Matlock
Deanery:Carsington[1]
Archdeaconry:Chesterfield
Diocese:Derby
Province:Canterbury

All Saints’ Church, Matlock Bank is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England[2] in Matlock, Derbyshire.

History

A mission room and school was designed by Mr. Skedward of Sheffield and opened on 17 August 1875[3] by Captain Augustus Arkwright, M.P.

The mission room was quickly found to be inadequate, so funds were raised for the construction of a new church. The foundation stone was laid on 31 August 1882 by Mr. F.C. Arkwright J.P. of Willersley Castle, in the presence of the Bishop of Lichfield.[4] and the church was built to the designs of the architect, Thomas Henry Healey of Bradford.

The church was opened by the Bishop of Lichfield on Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1884[5] and formally consecrated by the Bishop of Southwell, Rt. Revd. George Ridding on 17 September 1884[6] The original plan was to construct a much larger church, but only the chancel and part of the nave were completed. A west front was added in 1958.

An old priest hole, running from the church to the nearby Infant’s School, then on to the site of the Junior School is still in use today, although much of the original run between the church and the Infant School is impassable. The tunnel is carved from the sandstone bedrock and was illuminated by gas-light. The tunnel is approximately 4ft high by approximately 2ft wide and only passable by smaller people.

Stained glass

The church is noted for its stained glass windows, with an east window designed by Edward Burne-Jones of 1905 and a sequence of north aisle windows by Heaton, Butler and Bayne of 1907.

Parish status

The church is in a joint parish with

Organ

The pipe organ was built by Forster and Andrews and opened on 15 December 1886 by Thomas Barker Mellor of All Saints' Church, Bakewell.[7] A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: All Saints’ Matlock Bath . . A Church Near You . The Church of England. 6 January 2019 .
  2. Book: Pevsner. Nikolaus . Williamson . Elizabeth . 1979. The Buildings of England. Derbyshire . Penguin Books Limited. 274 . 0140710086.
  3. News: . Matlock Bank. New School and Mission Room . Derby Mercury . England . 18 August 1875 . 6 January 2019 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
  4. News: . A New Church for Matlock . Nottinghamshire Guardian . England . 4 August 1882 . 6 January 2019 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
  5. News: . Opening of All Saints’ Church, Matlock Bank . Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal . England . 18 April 1884 . 6 January 2019 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
  6. News: . Consecration of All Saints’ Church, Matlock Bank . Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal . England . 19 September 1884 . 6 January 2019 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
  7. News: . Organ Opening at Matlock Bank . Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald . England . 18 December 1886 . 6 January 2019 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .