Christmas Steps is a historic street in the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Name

The name comes from the medieval ''Knifesmith Street''. In

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

the 'K' in 'knife' and 'knight' was sounded. It seems likely 'Knifesmith Street' became corrupted over time to 'Christmas Street'. In William Worcestre's 1480 itinerary of Bristol, he describes it as 'knyfesmythstrete aliter

lius ''Lius'' is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species: * '' Lius aculeatus'' (Gory, 1841) * '' Lius adonis'' Saunders, 1876 * '' Lius aeneicollis'' Kerremans, 1896 * '' Lius aeneovirens'' Obenberger, 1932 * ...

Cristmastrete' The street continued to be recorded as 'Christmas Street' in the official town rentals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This is also how it is recorded in the Hearth Tax Books of Bristol in the 1660s. Christmas Street still runs from

St John's Gate St John's Gate, in Clerkenwell, Middlesex, now within central London, is one of the few tangible remains from Clerkenwell's monastic past. It was built in 1504 by Prior Thomas Docwra as the south entrance to the inner precinct of Clerkenwell Prio ...

to St Bartholomew's Hospital at the bottom of 'Christmas Steps'. The end near the hospital is now bisected by the widened Rupert Street and the very end part, in front of St Bartholomew's, is pedestrianised. In 1480, Worcestre described the road now called 'Christmas Steps' as 'Stypstrete' (Steep Street) it being 'the road on the west side of the church of St Bartholomew of Bristol, going to St Michael's Church' According to the late-seventeenth century stone plaque at the top of the steps, the street was renamed 'Queene Streete' during the mayoralty of Sir Robert Yeamans (1669/70) after it was 'steppered down' by the wine merchant, Jonathan Blackwell. A Bristol chronicle of c.1687 confirms that 'Jonathan Blackwell, vintner, new made the stepps on St Michael’s Hill, and finished it in 1669, at his own costs, being called by the name of Queen-street. The claim is repeated in an eighteenth-century Bristol chronicle: 'Jonathan Blackwell Vintner new erected and built Saint Michaels Hill steps at his own costs and called it by the name of Queen Street'. It is unclear from these statements whether the street had steps before 1669 since 'new made' and 'new erected' can refer to both an entirely new building work and the renovation of an existing one. In the seventeenth century, Christmas Steps were sometimes referred to as ''Lunsford's Stairs''. This was in honour of a

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

officer Colonel Henry Lunsford, who was shot through the heart on Steep Street on 26 July 1643 while taking part in the Storming of Bristol during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. The steps are labelled 'Queene Str' in the 1673 Millerd Map of Bristol and the updated 1728 version of Millerd's map. The Rocque Map of 1743 labels the steps 'Queen Str. or Stipe Str.' The alternative name he provides suggests that some people continued to call the steps by the old name of 'Steep Street'. The steps were described as 'Queen Str Steps' in the 1824 Ashmead map of Bristol and 'Queen Street' in the 1874 Ashmead Map. However, by the time of the official town plans of Bristol (1879–88), as well as the first Ordnance Survey maps of the late nineteenth century, the street is described as 'Christmas Steps'. It seems likely that this represented the formal adoption of a popular local name for the steps. After the main set of steps, the steps continue on the other side of Colston Street (1870) and then again across Perry Road (1868), leading to

St Michael on the Mount Without The Mount Without was a church now a creative space on St Michael's Hill in Bristol, England, near the University. It has been designated as a grade II* listed building, and was described as being in poor condition and on the Buildings at Risk R ...

. These steps were originally unbroken by the 2 roads and known as St. Michael's steps (on the 1855 G C Ashmead map).

History

The steep-slanted steps were new made in September 1669 and were paid for by wealthy wine merchant, Jonathan Blackwell. At the top of the steps, the stairs are flanked by stone alcoves, similar in design to the stone alcove seats found in many churches. These were presumably to allow people to rest on the long climb up to St Michael's. The steps and the alcoves were rebuilt from 1865 - 1881. They are classified as are grade II listed buildings by Historic England. Christmas Steps are now home to a variety of small shops, galleries, cafes and bars, also known as 'Christmas Steps Arts Quarter'. The listed buildings on the steps include: * No.1 The Sugar Loaf Public House c1720 * No 12 c1800 * No 13 & 14 c1800 * No 15 Late C17, refronted early C19 * No 16 early C19 * N0 18-19 early C19 * No 20 early C19 * No 3 c1800 * No 4 c1800 * No 5 c1800 * No 6 & 7 c1800

In popular culture

* The song '' Christmas Steps'' by

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...

is named after the street. *Appears in the last chapter of Terry Pratchett's novel Dodger as the location of the pharmacist where Dodger buys hair dyes to disguise himself and Simplicity.

Gallery

File:Christmasstepsup.jpg, Looking up Christmas Steps File:Christmasstepsplaque.jpg, Plaque at top of Christmas Steps File:Christmasstepssign.jpg, Metal sign at the top of Christmas Steps File:Alcoves_at_the_top_of_Christmas_Steps,_Bristol_(2701132309).jpg, Alcoves at the top of Christmas Steps

References

External links

{{Commons category, Christmas Steps
Christmas Steps Shopping
Streets in Bristol Grade II listed buildings in Bristol Infrastructure completed in 1720 1720 establishments in England