Buildings and architecture of Bristol

Bristol mixes medieval lanes with later styles across its streets and hills. The city’s fortified core once had walls built by Geoffrey de Montbray and a castle begun by the Normans. Parts of those defences survive in King Street and under St John the Baptist church tower. The oldest church still standing, St James’ Priory, dates from 1129 and was founded by Robert Rufus. Bristol Cathedral began as St Augustine’s Abbey in 1140 and grew in Gothic style until the 15th century. St Mary Redcliffe, begun in the 12th century, towers above the city and was praised by Elizabeth I in 1574. The city’s merchant wealth shaped its Tudor mansions and almshouses. Ashton Court, two miles from the centre, was built for a wealthy trader, while Red Lodge in the city was completed in 1580 for John Yonge. The Royal Fort stood as Bristol’s strongest defence during the Civil War before falling in 1645. St Nicholas’s Almshouses were added in 1652 to care for the poor. Public houses such as the Llandoger Trow and the Hatchet Inn date from this period, lining King Street. New churches like St Michael on the Mount Without served the merchants who moved out beyond the old walls. Beyond the centre, Georgian squares and later terraces organise the city’s growth. Redland Court, built in 1732, now forms part of a girls’ school. The medieval Bristol Bridge was rebuilt after the 1760 act promoted by Sir Jarrit Smyth. The bridge once carried five-storey houses that jutted over the river like Tudor buildings. The Floating Harbour and Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge mark the city’s industrial expansion. Temple Meads station, designed by Brunel, once housed the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum. The Blitz left scars, but redevelopment continues along the harbourside today.