St Matthew's church is located on the south-west side of Bute Street at its junction with Cardiff Street. It was built in 1871 in a simple Gothic style to designs of architect G.E.Robinson of Cardiff. Originally built as a National School it is portrayed on the first edition Ordnance Survey 25" map as 'School (Boys and Girls)'. By 1900 it is annotated 'Church' by which time the rectangular building had the addition of an apse.
The church is constructed of patterned stonework under slate roofs. Aligned north-east by south-west it consists of nave and chancel under a single steeply-pitched roof, lean-to porch of the south-west, and five-sided apse on the north-east, an obvious addition. By 1920 a corrugated-iron hall had been built alongside the church to its south-east.
Sources:
J.Newman, Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan (1995), p.639.
OS County Series 25-inch maps: sheet Glamorgan XVIII. 9, editions of 1877, 1900 & 1920.
Google Street View, July 2012.

David Leighton, RCAHMW, 2 June 2015