The hexagonal porch
A north porch from around 1325, one of only three medieval hexagonal porches left in England, with interlaced foliage carving that recalls an Islamic portal.
The first thing you notice walking out of Temple Meads is not Bristol Cathedral but this spire: about 84 metres of it rising above the harbourside, the sixth-tallest of any parish church in England. What most visitors never learn is that the top two-thirds came down in a lightning strike around 1446, and the church stood decapitated for more than four centuries until the point was rebuilt in 1872. Elizabeth I, so the story goes, called it the fairest and most famous parish church in England in 1574, while it was still missing its top. Imagine what she would have said about the finished article. Most of what stands today went up between 1292 and 1370 on the money of Bristol's merchant families, above all the Canynges, whose brightly painted tomb sits in the south transept. Enter from the north if you can: the hexagonal porch there, from around 1325, is one of only three medieval hexagonal porches left in England, and its dense interlaced foliage carving looks more like something from an Islamic portal than an English parish church. Inside, look up. More than a thousand carved and gilded bosses stud the vaulting, each one different, saints and Bible scenes and the masons who built the place. Then go hunting for the oddities: a whale rib said to have been brought back from Newfoundland by John Cabot in 1497, and a length of iron tram rail speared into the churchyard by a German bomb on Good Friday 1941 and left exactly where it landed. Entry is free. Visitor hours are 08:00 to 16:00 Monday to Saturday and 07:00 to 19:00 on Sunday, though Sunday belongs to the services first, so aim for a gap between them. Expect occasional closures of an hour or two for a wedding or funeral, so check the calendar on the official site before making a special trip. Guided tours run on Fridays and Saturdays only, last 90 minutes and cost from about 6 pounds a head through the booking platform linked from the church's website; worth it for anyone who cares about architecture, though a family with small children will be happy with half an hour on their own. Level access with a pushchair is through the south porch; the north porch is up steps, and so are the toilets, which is why a temporary portable toilet stands outside the south porch. There is no parking at the church; Portwall Lane and Redcliffe Parade car parks are both a few minutes' walk. The dual carriageway on the north side spoils the setting somewhat, and the best photograph of the spire is from across the water on the harbourside. If you are weighing this against Bristol Cathedral, plenty of people walk out convinced the parish church is the grander and lighter interior of the two, and it is far less crowded.
A north porch from around 1325, one of only three medieval hexagonal porches left in England, with interlaced foliage carving that recalls an Islamic portal.
More than a thousand carved and gilded bosses stud the vaulting, each different; bring your glasses or use the phone zoom.
A whale rib attributed to John Cabot's 1497 voyage, and a tram rail hurled into the churchyard by a 1941 bomb and left where it landed.
12 Colston Parade, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6RA
Pick St Mary Redcliffe. Both are free, but the parish church has the grander, more detailed interior and far fewer visitors, and it sits on your way from Temple Meads to the harbour. The cathedral is worth it only if you are already on College Green.
Yes as a short stop rather than a destination in itself: half an hour is enough to hunt for the whale rib, the tram rail and the gilded bosses, and level pushchair access is through the south porch. The indoor toilets are reached via steps, but a temporary portable toilet stands outside the south porch.