Bristol Cathedral

Bristol Cathedral, the cathedral church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Bristol, is among the least known of England's cathedrals, yet it is a building of exceptional interest. It stands on the site where, according to local tradition, St Augustine preached in 603. An abbey was founded here c. 1140 by Robert FitzHarding. It was dissolved under Henry VIII and the abbey church was elevated to the rank of cathedral in 1542. The only substantial survival of the Norman fabric is the chapter house (c. 1150-1170). The so-called “Elder” Lady Chapel dates from the early 13th century. The remainder of the eastern arm dates from the 14th century, the results of a building campaign by Abbot Knowle. It takes the form of a “hall church”, with full-height aisles—a very early example of this approach. The Norman nave was taken down in the 16th century and the site left empty until the present nave, modelled closely on the medieval choir, was built by G. E. Street in 1868-1888. The adjacent gatehouse is partly Norman, but was much rebuilt in the 15th century.