Bristol - St Mary Redcliffe

The town of Brycgstow already existed at the beginning of the 11th century and was given one of the strongest castles in southern England under Norman rule. In the 12th century it became an important harbour town, especially for trade with Ireland. A new bridge was built in 1247 and the town expanded considerably. It became a county in 1373. Bristol developed into the centre of shipbuilding.

Until its dissolution in England under Edward I, the Knights Templar used Bristol as the main harbour for pilgrimages and for exporting wool to the continent. In the 14th century, shortly before the arrival of the plague in 1348, Bristol was the third largest city in England after London and York, with a population of around 15,000 to 20,000.

The plague caused a long-lasting population decline. However, the population remained stable in the 15th and 16th centuries and totalled between 10,000 and 12,000 inhabitants. In 1497, Bristol was the starting point of John Cabot's voyage of exploration to North America. In 1542, Bristol was granted city rights and the former Abbey of St Augustine became a cathedral. During the Civil War from 1643 to 1645, Bristol was occupied and devastated by royal troops.

With the establishment of the English colonies in America in the 17th century and the slave trade in the 18th century, Bristol grew again. Alongside Liverpool, Bristol became the centre of the slave trade. From 1700 to 1807, over 2000 slave ships called at the harbour, transporting over half a million people from Africa to America.


St Mary Redcliffe is located on an island on the River Avon in the Redcliffe district. Smaller predecessor buildings from Anglo-Saxon and Norman times already existed on the site of the present church. The present church was built largely on the initiative and with the financial support of the town's merchants and traders between 1292 and 1370.

In 1446, lightning struck the stone spire, causing considerable damage to the building when it collapsed. The building suffered considerable damage during the English Civil War (1642-1649).

The church, built on a Latin cross plan, has three naves and a transept with three portals. The lack of a crossing tower is unusual; instead, the tower rises above the western bay of the side aisle, making it part of the façade. Both Decorated Style and Perpendicular Style elements can be found, particularly on the windows and the vaults of the church, which are stabilised on the outside by buttresses.