Bristol’s medieval parish boundary markers hidden in plain sight

Once standing at the foot of Corn Street where it is crossed by St Stephen’s Street, the church of St Leonard was demolished in 1770 after becoming what at the time was described as “a nuisance” because it blocked one of the main roads into the centre of Bristol.

The church may be long gone but its name survives in Leonard Lane, the narrow alleyway adorned in street art which joins Corn Street to Small Street.

Something else also survives of St Leonard: markers which once precisely mapped out its parish boundaries and the other precise borders of Bristol’s medieval parishes.

A St Leonard’s parish boundary marker on Small Street still survives more than 250 years after the church was torn down

The marker has been kept on a modern building next to the Crown Court

On the other side of Small Street is this parish boundary marker for St Werburgh’s

The marker is hidden in plain sight between Betty & Baldwins and Urban Tandoor

The parish of St Leonard stretched from the start of Quay Street to Bristol’s first library on King Street (where Chinese restaurant Cathay Rendezvous is today), with the vicar of St Leonard once also holding the office of city librarian.

The wonderful Know Your Place website has a layer where it is possible to see Bristol’s medieval parishes overlain onto maps both ancient and modern, but by looking closely around the old city it is still possible to spot plenty of parish boundary markers still in situ, with Leonard Lane being a particular treasure trove.

Parish boundary markers for St Leonard’s and St Stephen’s next to each other on Leonard Lane

Leonard Lane is a treasure trove for parish boundary markers

Each marker was individually numbered

Leonard Lane follows the route of Bristol’s medieval city wall

Knowing which parish you lived in was important because they were once administrative units responsible for the people within them.

Rates were paid by residents towards such things as relief for the poor, street lighting and parish constables.

Each parish boundary marker had a unique number and was either carved into or fixed onto buildings, with the bounds walked annually to ensure that the markers were in good condition and the parish boundaries accurately known.

Christ Church and St John the Baptist parish boundary markers on Tower Lane

Tower Lane follows the route of Bristol’s medieval wall

St Leonard’s and St John the Baptist parish boundary markers just visible on Bell Lane

Yes, you guessed it: Bell Lane is on the route of Bristol’s medieval city wall

St Werburgh’s is today an area of Bristol cruelly bisected by the M32. It gets its name from the church on Mina Road which originally stood on the corner of Corn Street and Small Street.

After its last service in 1877, the church was dismantled and part of the church and part of it rebuilt on land that back then was known as Baptist Mills but soon took the name of its new church.

The historic parish of St Werburgh’s covered both sides of Small Street and encompassed half of the former Corn Exchange, now St Nick’s Market.

Two parish boundary markers for St Werburgh’s can still be found inside St Nick’s, next to markers for the neighbouring St Nicholas parish:

A triumvirate of parish boundary markers in St Nick’s Market

The markers overlooking Royce Rolls are for St Werburgh’s, St Nicholas and St Peter’s

Another trio of markers is closer to Exchange Avenue

St Nicholas Market is one of the best places in the Old City to go parish boundary marker spotting

Like Leonard Lane, the area around St Nick’s also has an array of parish boundary markers:

All Saints Lane is almost opposite St Nicholas, one of the few churches in the Old City that remains a working church

A metal parish boundary marker for St Nicholas close to the entrance to Brooks Guesthouse

A carved St Nicholas marker on the other side of Exchange Avenue

Away from what is now known as the Old City – shorthand for the area of Bristol once inside the city wall – is a double marker on Bath Street close to Finzels Reach for the parishes of St Thomas and Temple.

Like St John the Baptist at the foot of Broad Street, St Thomas is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Temple Church and its leaning tower – its interior and roof destroyed in the Blitz of 1940 – are looked after by English Heritage.

Temple parish and St Thomas parish markers on Bath Street

Bath Street once continued across Temple Street where it joined Philip Street

Join Bristol24/7 Editor Martin Booth on a walking tour of the Old City and Castle Park to find parish boundary markers and much more. To book, visit www.yuup.co/experiences/explore-bristol-s-quirkiest-corners

Main photo: Martin Booth

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