ST. MATTHEW’S CHURCH. SUTTON BRIDGE

The Reverend Woods greeted us when the Society held it’s June meeting at St. Matthews Church.
The village of Sutton Bridge came into existence shortly before the Church which was built of Suffolk flint with stone dressings in the Early English style.
The trustees of Guys hospital bought an estate as an investment, which covered most of the Sutton Bridge area.
William Skelton became steward of the estate & was responsible for improved drainage, the building of roads & planting trees.
Thomas Guy, who is remembered for the founding of Guys Hospital, was a bookseller in London who made a fortune selling Bibles in Holland & was a contractor for printing Bibles in Oxford, and it is he who was mainly responsible for the founding & building of St Matthew’s Church.
St. Matthew’s was consecrated on 29th August 1843, the first stone being laid on July 28th 1841 by Benjamin Harrison Esq. Treasurer of Guy’s Hospital.
The church consisted of a chancel, nave, north & south porches & a western tower containing a clock & one bell & was of plain design with no stained glass windows, no side chapels, no heating & only candles for lighting.
After a short talk we were able to look round the church & noted the Reredos, which was commissioned in 1961. This caused great concern amongst the churchgoers, as it portrayed a beardless Christ.
We also saw the RAF chapel of St. Michael, which was incorporated into the chapel of St. Philip in 1956, in memory of the men of 8 countries who are laid to rest in the churchyard. A board close by shows the names & country of origin of the fallen men.
The magnificent east window behind the High Altar depicts the Epiphany, Crucifixion and Ascension.
The yellow west window depicts the Millennium & the blue window is to the memory of ‘All who left Sutton Bridge to work abroad from 1840 –2000’.
We were also able to browse the church registers & visit the tower & the Reverend was kept busy answering questions.
[Barbara Holmes]