What if these walls could talk? St Matthew’s in Bethnal Green has witnessed centuries of London’s ever-changing landscape. This Anglican church stands as a testament to faith, resilience, and the artistic spirit.
St Matthew’s was initially built between 1743 and 1746. George Dance the Elder designed it. His classical design included a tower at the west end. But this wasn’t the first attempt. Nicholas Hawksmoor created a plan earlier, around 1711. However, his ambitious design never materialized.
A devastating fire in 1859 ravaged the interior of St Matthew’s. Fortunately, the registers and church plate were saved. Thomas Knightley rebuilt the church in 1861. He added a cupola to the tower during the reconstruction.
Disaster struck again during World War II. Enemy action in 1940 destroyed the roof and interior. But the community’s spirit remained unbroken. A temporary church was erected within the shell in 1954. A. Wontner Smith and Harold Jones designed it.
From 1958 to 1961, the old church was rebuilt. J. Anthony Lewis led the reconstruction. The result was a bold post-war interior. It featured works by eminent 20th-century artists. Peter Snow created the upper-level Lady Chapel. It features panels with the apostles. Kim James crafted a bas-relief depicting the war between Heaven and Hell. Barry Robinson contributed wall paintings. Heather Child designed sand-blasted glass doors. Robert Dawson sculpted panels on the altar. Anthony Lewis designed a vesica-shaped marble font. Donald Potter created fired ceramic Stations of the Cross. Henry Montgomery Campbell reconsecrated St Matthew’s in 1961.
St Matthew’s has a rich musical history. An organ was installed in 1772. It came from a church in Newbury. Byfield and Green rebuilt it. That organ was destroyed in the 1859 fire. A Henry Jones organ replaced it in 1861. The wartime bombing destroyed the Jones organ. Services continued in the ruins. An Estey reed organ was used. In 1954, Noel Mander installed an 1877 Eustace Ingram organ. It was slightly modified for the temporary church. Mander reinstalled the Ingram organ in the rebuilt church in 1961.
The tower of St Matthew’s houses a ring of eight bells. George Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast them in 1861.
The classical exterior of St Matthew’s is Grade II* listed. The railings, wall, and gate piers to the churchyard are Grade II listed. The parish watch house, dating from 1826, is also Grade II listed.
Until Joseph King’s time, the rectors held the advowson. They often lived elsewhere. William Loxham, rector for 43 years, never visited the parish. Day-to-day work was left to poorly paid curates.
Septimus Hansard was a Christian Socialist. He and Edward Pusey assisted cholera victims in 1866. Hansard introduced a daily Eucharist. Stewart Headlam established the Guild of St Matthew in the parish in 1877.
St Matthew’s continued to serve the community during World War II. A temporary church stood within its bombed shell. Christopher Bedford converted to Catholicism in the 1990s. For a time, he held both Roman Catholic and Anglican services.
The funerals of the Kray twins were held at St Matthew’s. They took place in 1995 and 2000.
The churchyard closed to burials in the 1850s. Fanny Wilkinson converted it to a public garden in 1896. She removed all but two of the tombs. One of them is Merceron’s.
Today, St Matthew’s stands as a vibrant church. It is part of an inclusive, living Christian community. It gathers to worship, pray, learn, socialize, and work. St Matthew’s makes the world a better place. It is more than just bricks and mortar. It’s a living story etched in stone and spirit.