St Werburgh's Church, Bristol
| St Werburgh's Church, Bristol | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Bristol | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Bristol |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°28′18″N 2°34′35″W / 51.4717°N 2.5764°W |
| Construction started | 1759 |
| Completed | revised in 1879 |
St Werburgh's Church, Bristol, is a former church, now a climbing centre in the St Werburghs area of north-east central Bristol, England. It has been designated on the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building.[1][2]
The area became known as St Werburghs when the church was relocated from Corn Street to Mina Road in 1879.
History
[edit]The original church of St Werburgh, of medieval origin, stood in Corn Street in Bristol. It has been suggested that the dedication to an Anglo-Saxon princess, St Werburgh, could give the church a pre-Conquest foundation.[3] It was rebuilt by James Bridges in 1758.[2]
The parish it served was quite small and the building caused the road to narrow, and larger horse-drawn carriages were causing congestion.[4] An act of parliament was obtained enabling the closure of the church, with the last service being held on 12 August 1877.[5] It was then demolished and the stones numbered before being transported to the new site approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) away in Mina Road. During the removal of the church 100 coffins and 40 chests of human remains were uncovered.[6] These were reburied at Greenbank Cemetery.[4] The original site was bought by the West of England and South Wales Bank and became a branch of Lloyds Bank.
Parts of the original building, particularly the tower, were re-used in the construction of the new church under the direction of the architect John Bevan.[7] It was reconsecrated at the new site with the first service being held on 30 September 1879.[4] The church held its last service on Remembrance Sunday in 1988,[8] after which it was de-consecrated and converted into Bristol's first indoor climbing centre called Undercover Rock.
The climbing centre includes top-rope climbs, bolted lead climbs, and a bouldering area, all using hardboard walls built inside the original church structure. There is also a small cafe and viewing area. In 2016 Undercover Rock was taken over by another Bristol climbing centre The Climbing Academy.
Architecture
[edit]The church is built of ashlar limestone in a Perpendicular Gothic Revival style, with an aisled nave and chancel, west porch and south-west tower.[1] The five-stage tower has an octagonal stair turret.[2]
Archives
[edit]Parish records for St Werburgh's church, Bristol are held at Bristol Archives (Ref. P. St W) (online catalogue) including baptism and marriage registers and a burial register. The archive also includes records of the incumbent, churchwardens, parochial church council, charities, societies and vestry plus deeds.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1025007)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Church of St Werburgh (1025007)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ D Walker, Bristol in the Early Middle Ages, University of Bristol (Bristol branch of the Historical Association), 1971, p. 6
- ^ a b c Fells, Maurice (2014). The A-Z of Curious Bristol. History Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0750956055.
- ^ "St Werburgh". Bristol & Avon Family History Society. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ Beddoe, J. (1878). "On Certain Crania disinterred at St.Werburgh's,Church, Bristol" (PDF). Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. 3: 79–82.
- ^ "St Werburgh". Church Crawler. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ St Werburghs News – 25 years today since St Werburghs Church closed its doors