St Mary le Port is a ruined

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the centre of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England, situated in Castle Park on what remains of Mary le Port Street.

History

St Mary le Port is said to have been founded in

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

times after Anglo-Saxon foundations were found during archaeological excavationsM Q Smith, The Medieval Churches of Bristol, University of Bristol (Bristol branch of the Historical Association), 1970, p. 4. and Saxon pottery was found nearby.Bristol in the Early Middle Ages, University of Bristol (Bristol branch of the Historical Association), 1971, p6. The church was rebuilt and enlarged between the 11th and 16th centuries. During the 19th and early 20th centuries the church was a very popular centre of

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, and

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

teaching within Anglicanism. The church was bombed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on 24 November 1940 during the

Bristol Blitz The Bristol Blitz was the heavy bombing of Bristol, England by the Nazi German ''Luftwaffe'' during the Second World War. Due to the presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company, the city was a target for bombing and was ea ...

. John Piper painted an evocative picture of the bombed St Mary le Port. This image appears on the 1/6d British

commemorative stamp A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...

, part of a set of four paintings by British artists issued in 1968. All that remains of the church is the 15th-century tower, a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, and a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

surrounded during the latter years of the 20th century by the modernist buildings of

Norwich Union Norwich Union was the name of insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. On 29 April 2008, Aviva a ...

and the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

, which by the 2020s were both empty and had become semi-derelict, with further redevelopment proposed. After the bombing in 1940 the congregation and their rector, William Dodgson-Sykes, moved to St John on the Wall Church, where the congregation remained, in gradually declining numbers, till this church building was closed for worship by the

Church Commissioners The Church Commissioners is a body which administers the property assets of the Church of England. It was established in 1948 and combined the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Eccle ...

in 1984 (after a protracted struggle by the congregation). The remaining congregation then moved to the Chapel of Foster's Almshouses, and joined the

Church of England (Continuing) The Church of England (Continuing) is part of the Continuing Anglican Movement. It was founded in 1994. Since 2008 the church has regularly exhibited at the Christian Resources Exhibition at Esher, Surrey and elsewhere in England. It publishes a ...

in 1995. The C of E (Continuing) no longer lists a congregation in Bristol; some of the congregation joined with the new

Free Presbyterian Church (Ulster) :''Distinct from Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)'' The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster is a Calvinist denomination founded by Ian Paisley in 1951. Doctrinally, the church describes itself as fundam ...

congregation in

Horfield, Bristol Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monks ...

Clergy of St Mary-le-Port church

The church's clergy have included: * William Waite, rector, born 1764, died 1842, dates at St Mary le Port unknown * William Tandey, curate 1784–1799 (lived 1750–1832) * James Marshall, rector 1842 – (born 23 February 1796, died 29 August 1855) * Mr Thomas, rector, resigned 1857 * Samuel Abraham Walker, rector 1857–1879 (born Dublin, 1809, died 30 November 1879) (source, The Gospel Magazine, January, 1880) * James Ormiston, rector 1880 (and as at the 1901 census) (previously at Old Hill, West Midlands; editor of The Gospel Magazine from 1895 to 1916) * William Dodgson Sykes, rector (as at 1940) (editor of The Gospel Magazine from 1964 to 1975) :: – son of William Sykes (first President of the Sovereign Grace Union) :: – Principal of the Bible Churchmen's Missionary and Theological College, later part of

Trinity College, Bristol Trinity College, Bristol is an Evangelicalism, evangelical Anglican theological college located in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, England. It offers a range of full-time and part-time taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses which are validated by ...

:: ( Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society, now Crosslinks :: – Head of the

Irish Church Missions The Irish Church Missions (ICM) is a conservative and semi-autonomous Anglican mission. It was founded in 1849 as The Irish Church Missions to the Roman Catholics chiefly by English Anglicans though with the backing and support of Church of Irelan ...

References

External links

Details of clergy

"About Bristol" page

Tower of Church of St Mary-le-Port grade II listed from Images of England

BBC article on proposed 2005 development
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bristol, Saint Mary le Port 15th-century church buildings in England Saint Mary le Port Saint Mary le Port Former Church of England church buildings Grade II listed churches in Bristol Saint Mary le Port Ruins of churches destroyed during World War II Saint Mary le Port World War II sites in England Grade II listed ruins

History

Archives

Clergy of St Mary-le-Port church

See also

References

External links