Arnos Court Triumphal Arch () is an 18th-century monument in Junction Road,

Brislington Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from Bath. Brislington Brook runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley and St Anne's Wood. Brislington formerly hou ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England.

Description

The arch was built around 1760 by

James Bridges James Bridges (February 3, 1936June 6, 1993) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor. He is a two-time Oscar nominee: once for Best Original Screenplay for ''The China Syndrome'' and once for Best Adapted Screenplay for ...

, for William Reeve, a prominent local

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

and businessman. It is built from

Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of ...

, of classical proportions but with

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

detail. In its current position, next to the main

A4 road This is a list of roads designated A4. A4 is the name of several roads: * A004 road (Argentina), a road connecting Buenos Aires-La Plata highway with the Juan María Gutiérrez circle * A4 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Vienna and Nickelsd ...

, it marked the entrance to the (since demolished) Arnos Court Bath House. A plaque on the arch states that it was moved from its original position, at the entrance to the Black Castle, in 1912 and was fully renovated in 1995. The arch was designated as Grade II* listed in 1959.

Carvings

The niches on each side of the arch once contained carvings from the demolished City Gates. The rear elevation is much simpler than the front, and includes a carving of the City's coat of arms. The four statues which decorate the archway are 20th-century copies of 13th- and 14th-century originals. The original statues of

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

and

King Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

were set in one of the deep niches on the western side that have tent-like canopies. The original statues were taken from Bristol's Lawford's Gate that was demolished around the time of construction of the arch. Those on the east-side are 13th-century figures from Bristol's Newgate, representing Robert, the builder of

Bristol Castle Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, and later owned by Rob ...

, and Geoffrey de Montbray, bishop of Coutances, builder of the fortified walls of Bristol. The originals of all four were removed due to their deteriorating condition in 1898 and they are now in the St Nicholas's Church Museum.

References

{{Authority control Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol Triumphal arches in the United Kingdom Monuments and memorials in Bristol Buildings and structures completed in 1760 Grade II* listed monuments and memorials

Description

Carvings

See also

References