Until 1824, Brixton was part of the large ancient parish of Lambeth, whose church stood about 3 miles (4.8km) away, next to Lambeth Palace. These arrangements were inconvenient for those living in the new housing that was already starting to appear along the main roads passing through Brixton, a situation that was addressed by the construction of four new churches at Waterloo, Kennington, Norwood and St Matthew's at Brixton. The St Matthew's parish created in 1824 included Brixton, Brixton Hill, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill and (in modern terms) the Loughborough Junction and western Camberwell area.
In 1886 the population of the parish amounted to 13,924 and was served by three clergy. The total proportion attending (morning and evening services) was 12.4%.[2]
In 1901 the population of the parish was 12,029. In the following year, there were two clergymen and the total proportion attending was 11.2%.[2]
In 2002 St Matthew's parish was united with that of St Jude's in East Brixton, whose church building had been sold in 1980 and which had no incumbent since 1991. St Jude's was built in 1867–68.[3]
Based on statistics from the UK census, the Diocese of Southwark estimates the population of the parish was 12,100 in 2001 and 15,500 in 2011.[4] It is not clear whether the figure for 2001 includes people who were then living in the former parish of St Jude's.
Building
Portico of St Matthew's Church
The church was constructed following the Church Building Act 1818, which allowed for new churches in overpopulated parishes. Land was taken from Rush Common for the church. Initial works began late in 1821 and the foundation stone was laid by Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury on 1 July 1822. The church was consecrated in 1824.
Since 19 October 1951 St Matthew's church has been designated a Grade II* listed building.[1] It was designed by Charles Ferdinand Porden (1790-1863)[5] with the foundation stone laid in 1822 and the church consecrated two years later. The building is a rectangle, with a massive Greek Doric entrance portico at the west end, fronting onto Brixton Hill. A tower stands at the east end of the building.[6]
During the 1970s and subsequently, major internal alterations have been carried out to provide accommodation for a variety of activities, including continued use of a part by the Anglican congregation.[7]
The building and its churchyard occupies a highly visible triangular site at the junction of major roads, but pedestrian access is somewhat restricted because of the width of these roads and the density of the traffic.
Architecture
The church is built of pale yellowish brick with dressings of stone and Roman cement. The west portico is tetrastyle in antis and has fluted Doric columns. There are three tall doors which are battered and which have enriched panels, in eared moulded architraves. By the doors are cast iron boot-scrapers.[1]
The church has five-bay sides with pilasters of Roman cement and entablature. The church lies on a stone plinth and has battered windows with eared architraves. On each side there are stairs with side-walls down to an entrance to the crypt. There is a pedimented doorway enclosed by a strong, double wrought iron gate.[1]
The east end of the church is stone-faced with a wide projecting central tower bay, which has a window. There are doors in recessed side bays. The tower has a square bell stage with Doric screens, below on octagonal "Tower of the Winds" which has a low conical top with a crown and cross.[1] At the base of the Tower of the Winds is a blue-faced clock with gilt numbering.
When the building was given Listed Building status in 1951, it was reported that inside the church there was a wide gallery around three sides and in the west end a Doric organ case. In front of the east window was a tall screen of two Doric columns. There were also original pews and some memorial tablets.[1] The more recent internal changes to the building have provided a smaller worship area at the west end of the building with access through a lobby from the main entrance doors. The worship area has ancillary accommodation such as a vestry and kitchen. There is also a gallery (although not the one mentioned in the 1951 listing description).
Brixton is a district in the south of London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as Lambehitha and in 1255 as Lambeth. The geographical centre of London is at Frazier Street near Lambeth North tube station, though nearby Charing Cross on the other side of the Thames in the City of Westminster is traditionally considered the centre of London.
Lambeth is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area experienced some slight growth in the medieval period as part of the manor of Lambeth Palace. By the Victorian era the area had seen significant development as London expanded, with dense industrial, commercial and residential buildings located adjacent to one another. The changes brought by World War II altered much of the fabric of Lambeth. Subsequent development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has seen an increase in the number of high-rise buildings. The area is home to the International Maritime Organization.
Lambeth was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and became part of the County of London in 1889. The parish of Lambeth became a metropolitan borough in 1900, following the London Government Act 1899, with the parish vestry replaced by a borough council.
Herne Hill is a district in South London, England, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Denmark Hill, Dulwich Village, Loughborough Junction and Tulse Hill. It straddles the boundary between the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. There is a road of the same name in the area, as well as a railway station.
Nunhead is a suburb in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England. It is an inner-city suburb located 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Charing Cross. It is the location of the 52-acre (0.21 km2) Nunhead Cemetery. Nunhead has traditionally been a working-class area and, with the adjacent neighbourhoods, is currently going through a lengthy process of gentrification. Nunhead is the location of several underground reservoirs, built by the Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company.
Holy Trinity Church is in Church Road, Wavertree, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Liverpool, and the deanery of Toxteth and Wavertree. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It was described by John Betjeman as "Liverpool's best Georgian church".
Gipsy Hill in south London is a leafy and hilly neighbourhood spanning the southern parts of the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark characterised for its great views of the City of London and Dulwich.
Brixton Road is a road in the London Borough of Lambeth, leading from the Oval at Kennington to Brixton, where it forms the high street and then forks into Effra Road and Brixton Hill at St Matthew's church at the junction with Acre Lane and Coldharbour Lane. Brixton Market is located in Electric Avenue near Brixton Underground station and in a network of covered arcades adjacent to the two railway viaducts. The market arcades were declared listed buildings in 2009 following controversial proposals by Lambeth Council to replace them with a large US-style mall. The former "Brixton Oval" is at the southern end with Lambeth Town Hall, the Ritzy Cinema, the Brixton Tate Library and St Matthew's church. The space was renamed Windrush Square in 2010, in honour of the area's early Caribbean migrants and the HMT Empire Windrush, which in 1948 brought 492 passengers from Jamaica to London.
All Saints Church is a Church of England parish church in West Dulwich, South London. It is a red brick building designed in a Gothic Revival style by George Fellowes Prynne and built 1888–91. It is Grade I listed.
St Luke's Church in West Norwood is an Anglican church that worships in a Grade II* listed building. It stands on a prominent triangular site at the south end of Norwood Road, where the highway forks to become Knights Hill and Norwood High Street.
The Milton Mausoleum is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Milton, Nottinghamshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. The church, which stands on a hill and is visible from the Markham Moor junction on the A1 road, has also been known as All Saints Church, West Markham, and been confused with the medieval parish church of All Saints' Church, West Markham.
Christ Church on Brixton Road in Lambeth SW9 is an Art Nouveau and Byzantine Revival Grade II* listed building built in 1902 by Arthur Beresford Pite for his brother-in-law, Rev William Mowll. The foundation stone of the new church was laid on 13 December 1898 by Princess Helena, and the old church was demolished in 1899. The foundation stone, by Edward Johnston, was cut by Eric Gill in 1902. The church was consecrated by Edward Talbot, the Bishop of Rochester, on 5 December 1902. There is a prominent clock on the exterior of church, probably erected at the time of its construction. The outside pulpit in the south-west corner was designed by Weir, Burrows and Weir and was dedicated on 3 November 1907.
Alexander Dick Gough was an English architect who practised in London, where much of his work may be found. He was a pupil of Benjamin Dean Wyatt, and worked in partnership with Robert Lewis Roumieu between 1837 and 1848.
The St Jude's Church is an active Anglican church in Randwick, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of a significant heritage group that includes the church, cemetery, rectory and original Randwick Borough Chambers, later converted to church use. The group is located on Avoca Street, Randwick, and has a federal heritage listing. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Christ Church in Gipsy Hill is an Anglican Church in the London Borough of Lambeth. The remaining part of the original Victorian church building, the tower, which is now a private dwelling is a Grade II Listed Building and occupies a prominent position, the tower being a notable landmark in the area.
Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Rise, in the Tulse Hill area of the London Borough of Lambeth, is a Grade II Listed Building
Corpus Christi Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Brixton, part of the Archdiocese of Southwark within the London Borough of Lambeth. It was previously under the administration of the Society of Jesus whilst remaining part of the Archdiocese. It was founded in 1886, was designed by John Francis Bentley and is a Grade II* listed building.
Lambeth Town Hall, also known as Brixton Town Hall, is a municipal building at the corner of Brixton Hill and Acre Lane, Brixton, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Lambeth London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Angell Town is an area in Brixton, in the London Borough of Lambeth, south London. The area is dominated by the Angell Town Estate, a housing estate known for its poverty, deprivation and gang subculture.
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