St Nicholas, Bristol

St Nicholas is an Anglican church on St Nicholas Street in Bristol. The first church stood here before 1154, when its chancel stretched over the old city gate. James Bridges and Thomas Paty rebuilt the church between 1762 and 1769, adding a new spire. Bombing in the Bristol Blitz of 1940 destroyed the interior, and the building was later restored as a museum. After the museum closed in 2007, the church became council offices until it returned to worship in 2018. The church houses important historic statues moved here for safety. Thirteenth-century figures of Robert and Geoffrey de Montbray came from Newgate in 1898. Earlier statues of King Edward I and King Edward III were taken from Arno’s Court Triumphal Arch. One of only two public commissions by William Hogarth hangs inside, Sealing the Tomb, painted in 1755. The church’s unusual clock shows seconds and dates from the early 19th century. Visitors find a Grade II* listed building with a restored interior and clear views of the nave. The crypt contains remains of the 14th-century town wall. The clock tower still keeps time after repairs in the 1970s. Services resumed in December 2018 after sixty years, led by the HTB network. The church stands as part of Bristol’s historic streetscape, open for quiet reflection and worship.