St Matthew's Church, Little Lever

St Matthew's Church, Little Lever
St Matthew's Church, Little Lever, from the southwest
St Matthew's Church, Little Lever Location in Greater Manchester
Coordinates: 53°33′46″N 2°22′25″W / 53.5628°N 2.3735°W / 53.5628; -2.3735
OS grid reference	SD 754,074
Location	Little Lever, Bolton, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Matthew, Little Lever
History
Dedication	Saint Matthew
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	9 May 2003
Architect(s)	E. G. Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1865
Specifications
Materials	Coursed rubble stone with ashlar dressings Slate roofs
Administration
Parish	St. Matthew, Little Lever
Deanery	Bolton
Archdeaconry	Bolton
Diocese	Manchester
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Fr. John Wiseman
Assistant priest(s)	Fr. Ian Anthony
Laity
Churchwarden(s)	Dennis Hodson, Kate Bridge

St Matthew's Church is in the village of Little Lever, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Bolton, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester. St Matthew's is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

St Matthew's was built in 1865 to replace an earlier church built in 1791 on the other side of the street. It was designed by the Lancaster architect E. G. Paley. The tower was increased in height in 1924 as a memorial to the First World War.

The church is constructed in coursed rubble stone with ashlar dressings, and a has slate roofs. Its architectural style is early Decorated. The plan consists of a nave, north and south transepts, a west porch, a chancel, a north vestry, and a tower at the southeast corner. The tower is in four stages, with a stair turret in its southeast corner. The bell openings have two lights and louvres. In the stair turret there are small lancet windows. At the summit of the tower is a plain parapet and corner pinnacles. Along the walls of the nave are two-light windows separated by buttresses. At the west end are large buttresses, a gabled porch, and a rose window. On the south wall of the chancel is a small three-light window, and on the north side, over the vestry, are two lancet windows. At the east end is a three-light window containing plate tracery. On the gable ends are finials.