Professor Helen Fulton, Chair in Medieval Literature at the University of Bristol, presents a talk on the Map of Bristol in 1480, the result of a collaboration between the University of ` Bristol, the Historic Town Trust and local history societies in Bristol.
The map, which is based on the writings of C15th antiquary and topographer William Worcestre, provides a fascinating insight into late medieval Bristol, including detailed information on topography, public buildings, religious institutions, population, trades and local demographics.
With regard to St Mary Redcliffe, the map is useful for illustrating key medieval sites around the church that have now disppeared: The Chapel of the Holy Spirit thaty once stood close to the church's south west angle in the South Churchyard, home to Queen Elizabeth's Free Grammar and Writing School from 1571 until the 1760s; the Mansion House belonging to the Prebendary of Salisbury that once stood immediately to the north west of the church; the Hospital of St John the Baptist, to which the church provided a water supply; William Canynges' Alsmhouses on Redcliffe Hill; and St Katherine's Hospital, a Berkeley foundation that may have been the original location of the early medieval effigy that lies in the North Transept of the church.
The church will be open prior to the talk to give attendees the opportunity to view our free exhibition Look Up! Look Up! The Medieval Roof Bosses of St Mary Redcliffe.
Refeshments will be available.
