Building record MDR12631 - St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Bank Road, Matlock Town

There is a Roman Catholic Church situated here on the 2nd edition OS map. (1) The Catholic chapel at Matlock Bank was erected in 1883 and enlarged in 1900. It is dedicated to Our Lady and St Joseph, and affords 200 sittings. A presbytery was added in 1897. (2) Roman Catholics in Matlock celebrated mass in a house on Holt Lane from 1880 until their church was built. St Joseph's, on Bank Road, was constructed of local stone and built by William Askew in late 1882 and early 1883. The foundation stone for the new church, designed in the Gothic style, was laid on Saturday 23 September 1882 by the Bishop of Nottingham, the Right Reverend Dr. Bagshaw, assisted by Canon McKenna of Derby and others. At the time it was estimated that it would cost about £2,000 and would seat 300 people. A presbytery was added in 1896 following the purchase of more land. The chapel, on the north side, has a stained glass window depicting the Crucifixion. In 1903 Benjamin Bryan described the Matlock church as a 'mission', which was initially under St. Mary's, Derby. The church was originally dedicated to The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph [1887], it briefly became Our Lady & St Demas [1891], but by 1895 it had been renamed as Our Lady and St. Joseph [1895]. The chapel was registered for solemnizing marriages on the 29th May 1901. The Rev. George Leroy was the first (known) priest in charge and he worked in Matlock from a little before 1895 until his death in 1920, aged 62. During the First World War Leroy, who was a Belgian by birth, worked extremely hard to help Belgian refugees. (3) The building is still in use as a place of worship [2011]. (4)