Introduction
St. John the Baptist or as it sometimes known St John on the Wall church is one of the most unusual churches. The city walls were originally built in the 11th century but rebuilding of some of them occured in the 14th century and the church dates from this time. Instead of being a separate building, it was built into the wall! It is on the east side of St. John's Gate.
There were origianlly nine gates into the city; St Nicholas's Gate, St Lawrence's Gate, St Giles's Gate, St John's Gate, Frome Gate, Aylward's Gate, Blind Gate, Newgate and Pithay Gate. The only one still standing is St. John'sGate and it here where the church is.
St. John's Gate
At the bottom of Broad Street is St John's Gate, the only surviving city gate. This is the gate that Queen Elizabeth I entered the city during her visit in 1574.
St. John's Gate from Broad Street
The statues are of Brennus and Belinus, according to legend Brennus was the original founder of Bristol. There is a bit of a problem with these statues though as they both carry crucifixes, but the two kings are supposed to have lived a long time before Christ.
The 14th century central arch is much older than the two side arches which date from 1820. The main arch once contained St John's Conduit. The Conduit is now just through the arch and to the right, in Nelson Street. The water originally came from the Carmelite Friars' spring on Brandon Hill, and has been in existence since 1374.
Tower Lane
Standing on the Broad Street side of St. John's Gate if you look right you can look along Tower Lane, this was in existence over 1,000 years ago, and you can still get the feel of what the old Bristol streets must have been like. The old pavements did not have a kerbstone as they are usually found but an iron edging, this was to stop iron rimmed cart sleds from damaging the stonework. There were not many wheeled carts in Bristol as they were banned.
The tower on St. John's Gate is actually the spire of St. John the Baptist Church. The green door on the left of the picture of Tower Lane, above, is the entrance to the church.
St. John's Gate from Nelson Street
It's interesting to compare older photos:
St. John's Gate from Nelson Street in the 1950s (left) and 1960s (right)
Photos: Bristol Archives
The distrct was old even when John Rocque created his 1750 map of Bristol:
Part of John Rocque's 1750 map
Map: Bristol Maps
In 1730, Nelson Street was named Hallier or Hollier Lane. The name was changed due to the English victory over the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Interestingly, much earlier, in 1240, the road was named Gropecunt Lane, probably due to the sex trade being carried on there.
The Church
St. John the Baptist was first mentioned in 1174 but is believed to have been founded around 1100. It was completely rebuilt between 1380-1400 except for the eastern half of the lower church which is earlier 14th century work. Not surprisingly, the church has undergone many changes and contains items of many differnt ages.
Illustrations of St. John the Baptist church from Church of St. John the Baptist - Bristol Past and Present - Volume II - Ecclesiastical History, by Nicholls, James Fawckner & Taylor, John, 1881, J. W. Arrowsmith
An aerial view of St. John the Baptist church from the 1960s
Photo: Bristol Archives
The pews date from 1621, but the nave gallery dates from a little later in the 17th century but was moved in 1883 when new stairs were made and a new organ installed. At least some of the stained glass windows are much newer, being installed in 1957.
Walter Frampton
The church contains the tomb of Walter Frampton, an import figure in the church's history. He was the mayor of Bristol in the year of his father's death, in 1357, and again in 1365 and 1374. He was the person responsibe for rebuilding the church at the end of the 14th century.
Daily prayers were said for him by the chantry priest. The chaurchwarden's book said that:
The chauntry priest of Walter Frampton must pray dayly for the good state of our sovrayn lord the kynge of England and for the good state of the mayor of Bristowe. And for the soules of water frampton and Elizabeth his wyfe and for all his kyn is soulys and for all cristen soulys.
The anniversaries of Walter Frampton, William Strange, William Howell and "All Good Doers," were observed until 1533. In that year, as many as twelve priests, besides the clerk in orders, were engaged in the celebration of the solemn rites for the soul of Walter Frampton and his kin.
Tomb of Walter Frampton. Photo: Andy Grasemann
Being built into the old city wall, the church is very narrow. Under the cchurch is a crypt dedicated to the Holy Cross. The building last saw a church service in 1984, and is now under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
The following photos were taken by my friend, Andrew Grasemann...
The Crypt
The crypt under the church is dedicated to the Holy Cross. Although used for services, the crypt was badly used and in 1825, after having been used at various times as an engine house, a sugar warehouse, and an auctioneer's wareroom, was cleaned at the expense of the rector, the process costing about £60.
In the crypt is a large tomb with the effigies of a man and woman. The eroded tomb appears to have been decorated with the efigies of eleven children. It is unknown whose tomb it is.
The following photos were taken by my friend, Andrew Grasemann...
The Churchyard
The entrance to the now closed churchyard is in Tailors Court, which is just off of Broad Street, but it can also be seen from John Street, also off of Broad Street.
On January 4, 1390, Edmund Arthur gave Hasardys Garden to the church "with access through the gate of the grantor's house called Hasardys tenement in Brade [Broad] Street." This was consecrated in 1409 and became the churchyard.
St. John the Baptist churchyard from John Street
Photo: Google Maps
St. Lawrence
St. John the Baptist church was built into the wall on the east side of St. John's Gate, but there was once another church on the west side of the gate as well.
One person gave the dimensions of St. Lawrence church as 59ft. 8in. by 24ft. 8in. William of Wyrcestre (1415 -1482) described it as being 28 yards long and 9 yards wide. Even in the time of William of Wyrcestre, no records could befound of the church's foundation and he found the church much decayed. It was sold in the time of Henry VIII (1509 - 1547), to H. Brayne, whose successor, Sir Charles Somerset, sold the site for buiidings to John Hawkys in 1525. It was incorporated with St. John the Baptist in 1580 and demolished.
One unusual feature of both churches is that they shared the tower over St. John's Gate. It's a little confusing but older texts refer to the church as St. Laurence.
Sources & Resources
The Bristol Records Office has a great collecction of documents about St. John the Baptist chuch and its parish, some dating back to 1469. Unfortunately none are available on the internet.
An Account of St John's Conduit - Bristol's Medieval Water System by Temple History Group, 1984 - Internet Archive
Bristol Maps - A wonderful collection of maps and information for anyone interested in the history of the city
Bristol - St. John the Baptist Church, Broad Street - Crypt - Flickr
Bristol - St. John the Baptist Church, Broad Street - Stained Glass - Flickr
Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John's Gate - Historic England
Church of St. John the Baptist, Bristol - Wikipedia
Church of St. John the Baptist - Bristol Past and Present - Volume II - Ecclesiastical History, by Nicholls, James Fawckner & Taylor, John, 1881, J. W. Arrowsmith - Internet Archive
Know Your Place - A wonderful collection of maps and information for anyone interested in the history of the city
Lewd lane: Auction of ancient deed reveals startling street name - Oxford Mail
St. John the Baptist - About Bristol - This page contains some of the few photos of the churchyard
St. John the Baptist - Church Crawler
St. Lawrence - Bristol Past and Present - Volume II - Ecclesiastical History, by Nicholls, James Fawckner & Taylor, John, 1881, J. W. Arrowsmith - Internet Archive
St. Lawrence - Church Crawler - This page has a fascinating photo of the last remains of St. Lawrence
We Cannot Erase Bristol's History - Bristol 24/7