St Matthew, Normanton
St Matthew, Normanton
The former Church of St Matthew stands on a causeway in Rutland Water at Normanton (postcode LE15 8RP). The Gazette record places it in Leicestershire; the church is in the civil parish of Normanton, ceremonial Rutland. It is a Grade II classical building, deconsecrated in 1970 and now a wedding and concert venue owned by Anglian Water.
- Location
- Normanton, Leicestershire
- Country
- England
- County
- Leicestershire
- City / town
- Normanton
- Address
- Normanton, Leicestershire, LE15 8RP
- Postcode
- LE15 8RP
- Built
- Tower and portico 1826–29; nave and apse 1911; lower walls filled and a causeway built when Rutland Water was created in the 1970s
- Architect
- Thomas Cundy senior and Thomas Cundy junior; J. B. Gridley of London (nave and apse, 1911)
- Denomination
- Other
- Dedication
- Matthew
- Grade
- II
- Style
- Classical (Ionic portico; Corinthian tower after St John’s, Smith Square)
- Materials
- Ashlar; balustraded slate roof
- Grid reference
- SK 9325 0627
- Opening hours
- Open everyday.
- Access
- Level access to the main areas. Accessible toilets nearby
Overview
A church here stood on medieval foundations. Between 1826 and 1829 Thomas Cundy rebuilt it in classical style for the Normanton Hall estate of the Earls of Ancaster, with an Ionic portico and an open Corinthian tower compared in the listing to the towers of St John’s, Smith Square. J. B. Gridley of London rebuilt the nave and apse in 1911. The church was deconsecrated in 1970 ahead of the reservoir. After public protest the lower walls were filled with stone and rubble and capped in concrete; an embankment and causeway keep the building above water. It formerly housed a museum on the history of Rutland Water.
Historic England listed the former church Grade II on 14 June 1954 (list entry 1177773). It is no longer a parish church (the listing notes Edith Weston St Mary / Diocese of Peterborough for the historic parish).