|
A flagship of the Anglo-catholic movement offering rich elaborate ceremonial, today serving a bustling city centre, with a multitude of shops, offices, bars, restaurants and nightclubs in its immediate proximity, a far cry from its surroundings 150 years ago when Mass was said to the accompaniment to the pounding of machinery in the nearby 'mesters' and small factories often making cutlery from Sheffield steel. St. Matthew's has survived many threats to its existence. During the Second World War it survived the bombing which ravaged the city, and, despite the war, the church was 'blacked out' so that worship might take place daily. Much of the surrounding area was lost or damaged. In August 1956 it survived a fire which damaged theorgan, destroyed choir robes and damaged the Lady Chapel which had been restored merely two weeks previously. In the 1970's St. Matthew's was again threatened, this time by redevelopment of the city centre, but plans for a proposed road were changed and the church and its buildings remain on the same site. In the next few years St Matthew’s will be in the centre of the new retail quarter and will be open daily for services, welcoming visitors and for those who want private prayer
|
