St Matthew’s Church, Jersey
Visited on the 27th of July 2022
This white painted church in the parish of St Lawrence on Jersey looks unprepossessing when first viewed in passing. And if you didn’t know, or have a hint to what was inside, you may well just walk past it.
It is very simple with clean lines, and the first hint you get of what is inside are the glass globes on top of the gate columns.
A little closer and you can see the glass sliding doors of the church’s entrance. St Matthew’s Glass Church.
It is the glass that sets it apart. There are some works in the lobby, but when you enter the nave, the glass really kicks in.
The whole church was refurbished in the 1930s, and renowned glass supremo Rene Lalique did the work.
The glass font is said to be the only complete glass font in the world.
Either side of the altar are two screened off areas.
The one to the east is the Lady Chapel.
Whereas the other is more a storage area. The windows have no stained glass, just wonderfully shaped thick glass in them.
It is well worth a visit, especially for fans of Lalique, and it should get more of a mention in the Jersey travel guides so it isn’t just walked past.
History
It was built in 1840 as a chapel of ease to the parish church of St Lawrence and is orientated north to south.
In 1934 Lady Trent (Florence Boot), the widow of Jesse Boot (of Boot’s the Chemist), commissioned an extreme renovation of the church by architect AS Grayson, and French glass designer Rene Lalique.
The church is noted as the only remaining and complete example of his heavily clouded glass.
It is listed as a site of specific interest by Jersey Heritage and received a large donation for restoration in 2010.
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