St Matthias

St Matthias stands in Fishponds, a suburb of Bristol. The site was once a teacher training college founded in 1853. Its original buildings were designed in the Gothic Revival style by John Bevan and Jonathan Clarke between 1851 and 1852. A major extension followed in 1903. The main building is now a grade II* listed structure, with the lodge separately listed at grade II. The campus once belonged to the University of the West of England before its closure in 2014. The college began as the Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Training Institution for School Mistresses. Staff and students, past and present, have contributed memories for a campus history project. Departments such as Culture, Media and Drama, History, Philosophy and Politics, and English, Linguistics and Communication were once based here. Psychology moved to another campus before the site closed. A farewell event marked the end of operations in July 2014. Visitors find Victorian Gothic buildings arranged around a quadrangle. The lodge and main hall remain as reminders of the college’s past. Plans allowed for redevelopment into housing while preserving the listed structures. The site’s history is recorded in archives held by Bristol Archives. Today the buildings frame a quiet space where former students once studied.