England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bristol Holy Trinity, St Philip

The Parish

The city of Bristol lies in the extreme south of Gloucestershire forming part of the border with neighbouring Somerset. Bristol is located roughly 120 miles west of London and sits on the River Avon at the point where it ceases to be navigable and is served by numerous major roads of which the A4 leads to London and the A38 to Birmingham. Bristol has a long and distinguished history, the pre-Roman Britons named in Caer Brito and the Romans adopted it as Abona. It is as one of England's most significant ports that Bristol rose to become the major city of southwestern England, trade growing the port into a city of well over 100,000 population. Sadly much of that growth was fueled by Bristol's involvement in the slave trade, a trade now subject to revaluation by today's society. Besides the trade and commerce occasioned by the port, Bristol is also a major manufacturing centre and home for numerous service industries; it remains the major place of employment in its area and a major market for produce from a broad hinterland. Bristol has also benefited from modern developments, the Kennet & Avon canal being followed by Brunel's railway line to London and others to both north and south. In more recent times the modern M4 & M5 motorways pass by the city with its own dedicated motorway, the M32 connecting it to the former. The parish of Holy Trinity was created in 1832 to support the tremendous growth of Bristol's population, the parish, situated to the east of the original town centre, was carved from the "without" portion of St Philip & St Jacob parish.  Bristol is drained the short distance to the nearby Bristol Channel by the Avon through its famous gorge. Holy Trinity parish is sited at just 10 metres above the sea with most of the city at that height or indeed lower, land rises to the height of 80 metres in the suburb of Cotham. Holy Trinity parish covered a relatively small area of the former suburb with a growing population that had yet to reach its zenith by the end of this transcription period. Bristol, being already a substantial settlement, is not specifically detailed as to its assets in Domesday Book.

The Church

Holy Trinity church stands east of the inner ring road on the northern side of the A420 road (Clarence Road) at its junction with Trinity Road. The church is nowadays deconsecrated and at Pevsner's visit was described as an arts centre. Built between 1829 & 1832, the church uses the Perpendicular style of the late-medieval and the local bath stone. Whilst the church was of little architectural interest for Pevsner he did note the "showy gabled western front" between the pair of polygonal pierced turrets, a lavish feature of what was otherwise a product of the Church Commissioners. Additions to the basal design added in mid-19th century, a semi-hexagonal vestry, followed in 1905 by a choir vestry. The A420 road is the major route from Bristol to Chippenham and the church is surrounded by very busy roads connecting that road with the M32 & Inner Ring Road, short term parking may be found opposite along southward running Trinity Street. The former church is railed off from the urban situation but obviously has limited access as it is no longer used for worship.