Details
BRISTOL
ST5873SE BROAD STREET, Centre
901-1/11/535 (North East side)
08/01/59 Christ Church with St Ewen
GV II*
Church. 1786-1791. By William Paty. Built by Thomas Paty and
Sons. Entrance and refurbished interior by Henry Williams in
1883, restored 1973. Bath stone ashlar; roof not visible.
W tower and nave. Baroque style. The E and N elevations are
hidden; the S aisle has four 3-light round-arched windows with
plain surrounds, from 1883. W tower is of 4 stages: a
neo-Florentine portal with a round-headed doorway, an arch of
oak leaf bundles inside pilasters, with a moulded archivolt
with egg-and-dart moulding and rocaille decoration above;
either side are reeded pilasters with Composite capitals, and
clasping pilasters to the corners; entablature with a dentil
architrave, decorated fret frieze and acanthus cornice below a
segmental pediment containing the head of Christ; first-stage
balcony beneath a pair of Roman Quarter Jacks striking bells,
and a large clockface, below a cornice and segmental pediment
on scrolled acanthus brackets; above this the tower is
free-standing, and all 4 faces identical: stepped plinth to
the third stage, beneath paired Ionic pilasters at the corners
and beneath a projecting pediment; a central, recessed
round-headed blind arch with rusticated blocks and an impost
band; belfry with plinth and pairs of Corinthian pilasters to
a modillion cornice, and a central, louvred, round arch;
blocking course with large urns at the corners. 3-stage
octagonal spire on a short plinth, divided by arcaded strips,
each with a course of oculi on each face.
INTERIOR: Classical triglyph reredos by F Bell, 1882; the
original reredos, an elliptical pediment on Corinthian
pilasters with gilded plaster decoration, is now the rood
screen, with swan's-neck gates. 4-bay nave has elliptical
arches with guilloche soffits on slender Corinthian columns;
aisles the same height, the vaults carried on to scrolled
acanthus corbels; Adam-style ceiling decoration.
FITTINGS: restored 1791 octagonal timber pulpit with painted
plaster cherub heads, back and and inlaid tester; communion
table and wrought-iron rail 1792; the original font is now the
lectern base. At the rear is the 1708 organ loft by Renatus
Harris, above a balcony on 2 Corinthian columns with a frieze
of cherubs, carved panelled front surmounted by angels with
instruments. In the NW corner is a segmental arch to a bay
containing a small octagonal font with dentils under the
basin; a large bound oak chest with 3 locks.
Memorials include wall plaques to Christopher Raymond d.1754,
a draped stele on a slate background; Martha Leavis d.1750, a
sarcophagus panel beneath a sarcophagus; Thomas Holmes d.1761,
a sarcophagus below an obelisk with a seated figure holding an
urn, signed Thomas Paty; William Baylis d.1788, an oval plaque
on a black marble backing with a draped urn above; Frances
Ireland d.1795, a black stele bearing an open marble book,
signed by Wood; Hannah Hosier d.1830, a stele with inverted
fire brands either side, and an urn above; Robert Watson
d.1842, a rectangular plaque with an open quatrefoil above
containing fleur-de-lys.
The design is based on the church at Badminton,
Gloucestershire and more loosely on St Martin-in-the-Fields.
The Quarter Jacks came from the earlier church, 1728, by James
Paty, and many of the memorials from St Ewen's (demolished).
(Dening C F W: The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bristol:
Bristol: 1923-: 132).
Listing NGR: ST5889773076