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St. Matthew's Church in Harwell consists of a chancel measuring internally 34 ft. by 19 ft. 10 in., north transept 15 ft. by 16 ft., south transept 15 ft. 6 in: by 16 ft., nave 61 ft. 6 in. by 19 ft. 7 in., north aisle 44 ft. 9 in. by 8 ft. 6 in., and south aisle 44 ft. 3 in. by 8 ft. 6 in., and west tower 14 ft. 6 in. square.

A church was begun here about 1200, and the work was carried on well into the middle of the century. The chancel was rebuilt about 1320, but the transepts, nave and west tower of the 13th-century church remain.

All the windows of the chancel are of the 14th century. The east window is of five lights with tracery under a pointed head inclosed by a moulded label stopped by carved heads, and having over its apex a mask of the same character as the stops. The central light is trefoiled and higher than the side lights, which are cinquefoiled. The rear arch has a wave moulding on its outer face and is chamfered on the inner face. On either side of the window are image brackets formed out of grotesque heads. The two easternmost windows in the north wall are each of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil under a pointed head, and have splayed inner jambs and an external label stopped by carved heads. The north-west window is similar to the others, but is set lower in the wall, and the inner jambs are more widely splayed, while the hood mould returns on itself. Between the first and second windows is a continuously moulded pointed doorway; the rear arch is segmental, and above the inner western jambs, rising above the sill of the middle window, is a small carved figure, seated, resting his chin against his right hand and holding a water-bottle in his left. The three windows in the south wall of the chancel are like the corresponding windows in the wall opposite, with the exception that the heads of the two lower lights of the westernmost window are foiled in a peculiar manner, the upper foil being composed of four segments, the lower ones concave and the upper ones convex. Under the south-east window is a re-used 13th-century double piscina recess with one basin only; in the spandrel between the two trefoiled heads, which spring from a central shaft with a modern capital and base, is a small quatrefoil, within which is carved the head of a bishop. To the west of this are two ogee-headed sedilia, having continuous mouldings, the labels of which are stopped by carved heads. The chancel arch is pointed and of two chamfered orders with jambs of the same section, the outer order being continuous, while the inner order is stopped at the springing by well but boldly carved figures of a monk (?) and a layman, each attacked by a dragon. Along the north, south, and east walls of the chancel, below the level of the window sills, is a re-used 13th-century string-course. It breaks up over the doorway and sedilia, but runs uninterruptedly along the east wall at a higher level than along the sides. The walls are plastered internally.

The nave is divided into four bays, the eastern bays being flanked by the transepts. The opening into the north transept is pointed and of a single order having chamfered angles, with responds of the same section, which are stopped at the springing by moulded abaci and have moulded stops at the base. An arcade of three bays opens into the north aisle. The arches, which are pointed and similar to the arch into the north transept, are carried by circular piers having foliated capitals with moulded abaci and bases. The abacus of the east pier is octagonal, and underneath each angle is a carved leaf. The capital of the west pier, although having an octagonal abacus, has a leaf enrichment encircling the bell, while the moulded base is double. Both the east and west responds have chamfered angles with carved stops, and have moulded abaci and chamfered bases. The arch into the south transept is pointed and of a single chamfered order, with responds of the same section, having moulded abaci and chamfered bases. The arcade between the nave and the south aisle is of three bays, and is like the north arcade.

The north transept is lighted from the east by a square-headed window of three trefoiled lights with tracery set flush with the external face of the wall; the rear arch is two-centred and segmental. In the north wall are two lancet windows, having grooves for external shutters. The arch into the north aisle is pointed and of a single unmoulded order, springing from moulded abaci. Above the arch the wall thickens on the west side, the thickness being carried by four corbels. In the buttress against the east wall are built some pieces of 14th-century quatrefoil panelling. Pairs of original lancets light the south transept from the east and south; all have widely splayed inner jambs and rebates for external shutters. The rear arches on the south side are two-centred and segmental. The south lancet in the east wall is lower than the northern one, and the external rebates for wooden frames have in every instance been filled up with cement. The arch into the aisle is pointed and chamfered, and springs from moulded abaci. Running round the walls of the transept at the level of the window sills is a half-round string-course.

In the easternmost and middle bays of the north aisle are 14th-century windows of three trefoiled lights with tracery under pointed heads. In the westernmost bay is a pointed doorway with a two-centred segmental rear arch. Running round the north aisle at the level of the window sills is a plain string-course.

The two easternmost windows of the south aisle are of late 13th-century date, and are each of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil under a pointed head. At the extreme west end of the south wall is a late 13th-century window of two uncusped lights with an open head under a pointed arch. The tracery is flush with the external face of the wall, and the rear arch is of the two-centred segmental form. Between this window and the next is a pointed 13th-century doorway. At the level of the window sills is a simple external string-course. Covering the south doorway is a gabled porch with a high-pitched roof. The doorway is pointed and chamfered with a two-centred segmental rear arch. Against the north and south walls of the porch are stone benches.

The tower stands on a battered plinth, and is of three recessed stages with an embattled parapet carried on a corbel table, a north-east stair turret, and buttresses of two offsets at the angles, which stop at the level of the bell-chamber. The tower arch is pointed and of two orders, the inner order chamfered and carried on attached shafts having moulded capitals and chamfered bases. In the north wall is a shouldered doorway to the stair turret. The west window has plate tracery with a pointed external order. It is of two chamfered trefoiled lights with a vesica in the spandrel. The ringing stage is lighted on the north, south, and west by single lancets cut in a recessed plate, while in the head of the outer order, which is pointed, is a secondary trefoiled head. On the west wall to the north of the window is a clock face. At the angles of the bell-chamber story are shafts with carved capitals and moulded bases, and in each face is a two-light plate-traceried window under a chamfered pointed head. The spandrel in the head of the east window is pierced by a lozenge with a trefoil above, and in the north window these openings are reversed, while in the south window the spandrel is pierced by a quatrefoil above an oval. In the west window the upper opening is a quatrefoil, the lower one a lozenge. The stair turret is in two stages, the lower one being square and the upper one octagonal. Above the level of the corbels carrying the parapet it is of 14th-century date, and is roofed by a pyramidal stone roof crowned by a moulded finial. The tower parapet is also of the 14th century.

Over the chancel is a trussed rafter roof, probably coeval, covered with stone slates, and divided into three bays by tie-beams, from the centre of which rise king-posts having moulded capitals and bases. From the capitals of the king-posts spring longitudinal struts supporting a central purlin, and cross struts which give extra support to the principal collars. The roofs of the nave and transepts are tiled. The north transept roof is divided into two bays by three collared principals, between which are curved windbraces, while over the south transept is a trussed rafter roof with a central purlin. The roof of the nave is in four bays and of similar construction to the chancel roof, but the king-posts have no moulded capitals or bases. The lean-to aisle roofs are low pitched, and are supported by stone corbels built into the nave walls; they are covered with lead.

The chancel screen is particularly interesting, as it contains much of the woodwork of an early 14th-century screen. On either side of the central opening are six lights with 15th-century traceried heads springing from small early 14th-century shafts with moulded capitals, bases, and central annulets. The lower part is of close boarding, and the whole is crowned by an embattled cornice of the later date. Several of the original shafts have been restored or replaced.

The circular font is of the 13th century, but the cover is a 17th-century addition. There is an 18th-century altar rail, and under the modern altar table is a pre-Reformation altar slab; a 17th-century table stands in the tower.

In the floor of the chancel is a 14th-century stone grave slab with the matrix of a foliated cross. In the head of the east window is a 14th-century shield of the arms of Piers Gaveston, Vert six eagles or, while there are also fragments of stained glass of the same date in the heads of the three north windows of the chancel and in that of the north-east window of the north aisle. Suspended from the roof at the east end of the nave is a handsome brass chandelier, the gift of W. Christopher Elderfield in 1766. On the north wall of the north transept, brought here from the floor of the nave, is a brass to John Jennens with the following inscription in Roman capitals: 'Here lyeth buryed the body of John Jennens | who deceased the XVII day of November Anno | DĈ 1599 who had issue by Margaret his wife | VI sonnes and five daughters | Good wife and children agree | Serve the Lord and come to me.' Above the inscription are the figures of John Jennens and his wife and between them have been placed those of their children, which were formerly in the normal position below the inscription.

The tower clock was the gift of John Knapp of Harwell in 1703, and was made by John Renolds of Harwell.

There is a ring of six bells and a sanctus bell: the treble is by William Yare of Reading, son-in-law of Joseph Carter, and is inscribed, 'Humerie Loder gave this bell 1611'; the second, by Joseph Carter of Reading, is a 16th-century bell, but the latter part of the date is indecipherable; the third, inscribed, 'This bell was made 1611,' and the fourth, inscribed, 'This bell was made 1643,' are by William Yare; the fifth, inscribed, 'This bell was made in the yeare of our lorde 1597,' is by Joseph Carter; and the tenor was cast by William Yare in 1612. The sanctus bell is by R. Wells of Aldbourne. 

The plate consists of two chalices and two patens, all stamped with the date mark of 1724.

The registers previous to 1812 are as follows: (i) all entries 1558 to 1687; (ii) all entries 1688 to 1812, marriages stopping at 1763, while baptisms and burials of the year 1690 are missing; (iii) marriages 1754 to 1812, the marriages from 1754 to 1763 being in duplicate.

Historical information about St. Matthew's Church is provided by 'Parishes: Harwell', in A History of the County of Berkshire: Volume 3, ed. P H Ditchfield and William Page (London, 1923), pp. 484-492. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/berks/vol3/pp484-492 [accessed 5 March 2023].

St. Matthew's Church is a Grade I listed building. For more information about the listing see CHURCH OF ST MATTHEW, Harwell - 1048238 | Historic England.

For more information about St. Matthew's Church see Parishes: Harwell | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk).