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St Thomas the Martyr, Bristol facts for kids

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St Thomas the Martyr
St Thomas the Martyr Bristol2.jpg
General information
Town or city Bristol
Country England
Coordinates 51°27′10″N 2°35′29″W / 51.4527°N 2.5914°W / 51.4527; -2.5914
Completed 14th century

St Thomas the Martyr is an old Church of England church located on St Thomas Street in the Redcliffe area of Bristol, England. It's a building with a long history!

The church has a tower that was built way back in the 14th century. But the main part of the church, called the nave, was rebuilt much later, between 1791 and 1793, by a person named James Allen. Later, from 1878 to 1880, William Venn Gough made even more big changes to the church. He also redesigned the top of the tower in 1896–97, adding a small spire, pointy decorations called pinnacles, and a fancy wall at the very top.

Interior of St Thomas Bristol
The inside of the church

In 1906, four paintings were made for the decorated screen behind the altar, called the reredos. These paintings were created by a German artist named Fritz von Kamptz. Today, you can find them in the south aisle of the church.

Even though the church survived the Bristol Blitz (which was when Bristol was bombed a lot during the Second World War), fewer people came to the church after the war. Because of this, the church was eventually declared "redundant," meaning it was no longer used for regular church services. Now, it is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. It was officially handed over to them on February 17, 1988.

St Thomas' Church, Bristol, BRO Picbox-4-BCh-37, 1250x1250
An old picture of St Thomas the Martyr church, from around 1838. You can see the part of the church built in the 1700s on the left, and the older medieval tower in the middle. In front, there's a graveyard with tombstones. In the background, you can see buildings from the old livestock market.

The church also has an organ that was built in 1729 by John Harris. Even the famous composer George Frideric Handel admired this organ!

St Thomas the Martyr is considered a very important historical building. It is listed as a Grade II* listed building on the National Heritage List for England.

Current Use

Today, the Churches Conservation Trust leases the building to a Romanian Orthodox Church community. They use the church for their worship services on Sundays and on special holy days. When it's not being used for services, the building is also available for people to hire for events.

See also

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