OLD ST. MATTHEWS CHURCH, SHANKILL ROAD.

[melv]

[DOFFER]

i was baptised there in 1938  is it still a working church ???thanks for picture

[zeebeedee]

i was baptised there in 1938  is it still a working church ???thanks for picture

Sorry Doffer I'm Shankill road all my days and I don't recognise the photo. St.Matthews Shankill Parish Church was "my" church where I was christened  and it's 130 years old. Unless it's another Shankill Parish somewhere outside Belfast
Someone posted a photo of it here last week, I'll see if I can find it

[melv]

Hi doffer&zeebeedee,    this church was situated on  thee shankill road, if you look closely you can just see the end column of the shankill graveyard . i remember this building well, and was used as a church hall, for the lifeboys and brownies, i think it was later taken over buy another church, the last time i was on the road it was still there although its appearance has changed.
according to the book i took the photograph from this was the old st matthews church, before the present church was built.             sam

[zeebeedee]

Hi doffer&zeebeedee,    this church was situated on  thee shankill road, if you look closely you can just see the end column of the shankill graveyard . i remember this building well, and was used as a church hall, for the lifeboys and brownies, i think it was later taken over buy another church, the last time i was on the road it was still there although its appearance has changed.
according to the book i took the photograph from this was the old st matthews church, before the present church was built.             sam

You're right of course!! I recognise the pillar. I knew the building as the parochial hall, I went to Sunday School there although I cant remember it looking like that but the location is spot on. In my day the front door opened directly on to the Shankill Road, that must be a very old photo

[melv]

zeebeedee,   its funny what brings back memories, that door you mentioned, every day, to and from glenwood school i used to swing on the big black handle of that door, then of course i had to walk the walls of the graveyard, priceless, sam.

[zeebeedee]

The chimney stack in the background is the chimney of O'Hara's bakery in Camberia St which was mentioned in a thread here recently

[zeebeedee]

There has apparently been a church here for 1500 years, the original founded by St. Paddy himself

[pussy-galore]

There has apparently been a church here for 1500 years, the original founded by St. Paddy himself

WoW!   

[melv]

apparently there has been talk of time team coming to do a dig in the graveyard to look for st pats old church, now that would be worth the watching.

i can just imagine baldrick and the bearded one popping into the mountinview for a few pints    sam.

[DOFFER]

im sure my st matthews was quite close to woodvale park  so as near as whatsit the shankill

[harrydunn]

When i started school in 1945 i first went to John White Memorial Church Hall in Matchett St, you then went to St Matthews Parochial Hall( the old Church) on the Shankill then to Glenwood Intermediate in Riga St, St Patrick reputately built a church here about 495A.D. but this was i think in the grounds of what was to become the graveyard, the parochial hall (still standing ) is of a much later date 

[harrydunn]

Just done a little search the Parochial hall was built as a Church in1839 in the grounds of the graveyard but was then seperated by a wall.St Mathews Church on the corner of Cambria St was built in 1872, the old church then was used as the Parochial Hall.

[thecadfella]

St Matthews is the only "Shamrock" shaped church in Ireland, apparently.

Can anybody else confirm that as a fact ?

[manitoba]

I used to go past it when I was a lad. I only found out a couple of years age that my Great grand dad was a warden or something. His name was Woodside and I am told there is a picture ih him in the Ministers Ollice.