Bristol Cathedral
About
Founded in 1140 as St Augustine's Abbey and raised to cathedral status in 1542, Bristol Cathedral is an architecturally unusual hall church, where the side aisles rise to the same height as the central nave rather than stepping down, a design more common in Germany than England. The medieval chapter house and the Eastern Lady Chapel survive from the original abbey, and the twin west towers, added in the 19th century to a design finishing Victorian architect G.E. Street's plan, complete the building visitors see today on College Green in the city centre. As a working cathedral, entry is generally free with a suggested donation, though hours flex around services.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The rare hall-church design, with aisles the same height as the nave
- ✓The surviving medieval chapter house from the original 1140 abbey
- ✓The Eastern Lady Chapel's medieval stonework and glass
- ✓College Green setting, next to the Harbourside and city centre
Tips
- →As a working church, visiting hours flex around services; check before a special trip.
- →Entry is generally free with a suggested donation.
- →A short walk from the Harbourside, M Shed and College Green.
Best Season
More Attraction Activities
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Brunel's 1864 suspension bridge across the Avon Gorge. Free to cross on foot or by bike; only cars pay the £1 toll.
Brunel's ss Great Britain
Brunel's restored 1843 ocean liner, afloat in the dry dock where she was built, with a glass sea letting you walk beneath the hull.
M Shed
Bristol's free social history museum on the Harbourside, in a real dockside transit shed, now home to Banksy's Grim Reaper.