Welcome to the web site of Christ Church with St Ewen, All Saints & St George, in the City of Bristol.

 

Christ Church,  is located on the corner of Broad Street and Wine Street in the heart of the old City of Bristol, and is now the only church used for regular services in the old City.

 

We are a very traditional church, and our services, with very few exceptions, accord to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Our Bible readings are exclusively from the Authorised Version, and we enjoy a very high standard of preaching from our several visiting clergy.

 

Most of our Sunday services are sung, when a choir of boys and men lead our worship, other than during the school summer holidays, when they are also on holiday.

 

At 11.00 am we have a Sung Eucharist, with a setting of the Communion Service and  congregational hymns.

 

Our 6.30 pm Evensong, includes sung Psalms and Canticles, an Anthem and Sermon as well as congregational hymns

 

Our Tuesday service at 1.05 pm is a said Communion service and has a regular following.

 

The Bristol City Centre churches were reorganized in 2008 when the full title of the church became Christ Church with Saint Ewen, All Saints and Saint George, Bristol. The parish includes the most part of the old parishes of Saint Ewen and All Saints.

 

We have an eclectic congregation who come from all parts of the City and beyond, to enjoy the dignity of our form of worship, the tradition of good preaching and music.

 

A church has stood on the present site since Norman times, this probably being the third, but in 1786 the medieval building, which had a history of instability, was judged beyond repair and pulled down. The present church was then built after surrender of the southern side of the site to enable Wine Street to be widened.

 

The present church was designed by William Paty and completed in 1790. The Paty family were architects and craftsmen involved in building and joinery as well as design. Christ Church is arguably their masterpiece and is renowned amongst Georgian churches for the elegance of it's interior and the clever use of light and space. It follows the design tradition of Gibb's St Martin-in-the-fields, London and has similarities with Badminton church, Gloucestershire.

 

In the 19th Century the church became the centre in Bristol for the Church Union whose High Church views contrasted with those perceived and attached to the Georgian age. This resulted in unfortunate alterations in 1883 in pseudo-Florentine style. The porch was altered, sash windows were replaced by tracery and stained glass, the original pews altered and the 18th Century reredos replaced by the present stone version. The reredos was however stored in the crypt and with alterations re-erected in 1928 as a Rood Screen. More recently the large marble pulpit of 1883 was replaced by the original pulpit, likewise fortunately preserved.

 

The church greatly benefited from the generosity and good taste of it's rector from 1903-1938, Canon R T Cole FSA, who gave the Georgian House in Great George Street to the City.

 

Robert Southey (1774-1843) the poet laureate was baptized in the church and brought up in the parish.