Bristol is packed with history ranging from religious buildings still in use which are almost a millennia old to “royal party houses” and stunning grottos.
We have compiled the oldest buildings in the city ranging, from the 12th century to the 18th century.
Scroll through to take a journey through time and learn about the 18 oldest, most influential buildings still standing in Bristol today.
1. St James Priory Church - 1129
Tucked away in Bristol's busy Horsefair, St James' Priory Church is the oldest building in Bristol still in use. The stunning and serene Grade 1 listed church dates from the 12th century and is used as a Roman Catholic Church, with Holy Mass celebrated at 8am on Sundays and Eucharistic Adoration from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. St James' Priory Church was founded by the Earl of Gloucester and illegitimate grandson of William the Conqueror, Robert Fitzroy, in 1129 and has been used as a place of worship for almost 900 years. At first, the church was home to 11 or 12 monks and Prior who lived under the rule of the Benedictine Abbey of Tewkesbury. During the reign of Henry VIII, The Priory was dissolved, and many of its buildings were demolished. Only the west end survived as a smaller parish church, still used for worship today. | BristolWorld
2. Bristol Cathedral - 1140
Standing at the heart of Bristol’s city centre, the Cathedral was originally an Augustinian Abbey founded by Robert Fitzharding in the 12th century. The remains of the abbey can be seen in the Chapter House in the eastern part of the Cathedral. During Henry VIII's reformation in 1539, the abbey was dissolved, and in 1542, the church became a Cathedral. The Nave was built between 1868 and 1881, and electricity was installed soon after, making Bristol Cathedral the first cathedral to be lit by electricity. The vaulted ceilings in the Nave, Quire and Aisles are all at the same height, creating a light and airy space with a series of elegant arches, making Bristol Cathedral one of the finest examples in the world of a medieval "hall church". For almost 900 years, Bristol Cathedral has been a living place of sanctuary, teaching, prayer and music. | BristolWorld
3. The Great Gatehouse - 1170
The Great Gatehouse, also known as the Abbey Gatehouse, is located on the south side of College Green and dates back to 1170. It was the gatehouse for St Augustine's Abbey, which was the precursor of Bristol Cathedral. The gatehouse was designated by Historic England as a Grade I listed building. It is one of the abbey's monastic buildings which survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries, after which, in 1542, the abbey became Bristol Cathedral. | NotFromUtrecht, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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4. Holy Trinity Church - 1194
The first church on the Westbury-on-Trym site was established in the 8th century, and in the 10th century, a Benedictine priory was founded. Construction of the present building began in the early 13th century and it has been rebuilt several times since. The Grade I listed building was used as the collegiate church for Westbury College between the late 12th century and the middle of the 16th century. The church contains the tomb of John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester, who had planned to make it a joint cathedral for the Worcester diocese. | Robert Cutts from Bristol, England, UK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons