The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Bristol
ON the evening of Sunday, October 30, 1831, amid three days of rioting sparked by the defeat of the Reform Bill in the House of Lords, a large mob gathered outside the Cathedral Close in Bristol. The Bishop, a known opponent of Reform, was absent and his butler unsuccessfully attempted to defend his Palace from attack. It was overrun, sacked and burnt. The cathedral sub-sacrist, William Phillips, managed to bar the door between the cloister and church, saving the building-although not the chapter house-from the fury of the rioters.
Bristol Cathedral was in origin an abbey, founded according to the Newland Roll, compiled between 1481-1515-in 1140, by one Robert FitzHarding, who built the church and all other houses... by the space of 6 years'. FitzHarding was a wealthy Bristol burgess and merchant who gave financial backing to the Empress Matilda and her son, Duke Henry, during the civil war known as the Anarchy. His foundation was established just outside the walls of this prosperous city and, unusually, was known from the first not only by its location 'beside' Bristol, but also by its dedication to St Augustine, the apostle of the English.
It can't be a coincidence, therefore, that a next-door chapel-now lost-was thought in the Middle Ages to be the burial place of Jordan, by tradition one of St Augustine's companions, who died in Bristol in 603. Presumably, the foundation of the abbey related to Jordan's pre-existing cult. That there was an Anglo-Saxon prehistory to this site is demonstrated by a magnificent 11th-century sculpture of the Harrowing of Hell that was discovered during the 1830s repairs to the chapter house.
Denne historien er fra December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 13 - 20, 2023 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery