The Building

Read about the history of the Saint Stephens church building and tower

The proud church tower, 152 feet tall, rises still over what Bristolians call “The Centre”, but without the tower the church would only be visible from St Stephens Street as tall office buildings hem it and its small churchyard park in on three and a half sides. It competes with other towers of our age such as the Colston Tower and is of four stages. It is crowned by an openwork parapet and four angle pinnacles, of which there are also examples at Gloucester Cathedral, Cardiff St John and much more locally Thornbury and Dundry parish churches.

This example dates from 1470, the parapet being restored three times, following storm damage in 1703 , in 1914 and again in 1970. Now peeping over the offices into the rush of traffic which is today’s centre, it is hard to imagine that here was once the hustle and bustle of the wharfs of the docks, and the tall masts and furled sails of the many boats which gave Bristol much of its prosperity. Even harder to believe that this course of the River Frome was made c1248, the church originally stood outside of the walls of the city beyond the original course of the Frome.

The church itself is much older in origin but nothing remains structurally of the previous church. The entire church was rebuilt jointly by the parishioners and the Abbey of St Peter Gloucester in 1470 and John Shipward bore the entire cost of the new tower. The damage caused in 1703 by “The Great Storm” (which also blew down Eddystone Lighthouse and damaged Widecombe-in-the-Moor and Fairford churches amongst many other buildings) was extensive, to the roofs, clerestory and the pews of the nave and south aisle. The storm also caused an immense high tide which flooded the church to a depth of five inches. The uniform appearance of the Perpendicular town church was perfected again in the various C19 restorations 1875-1898, which also unaccountably destroyed the original six-light east window, replacing it with the current one of five lights.

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