Christ Church With St Ewen

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

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

379018

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Dening, C F W, The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bristol, (1923), 132

End of official list entry

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