Bristol Cathedral

Bristol Cathedral
Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity
The west front of Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral shown within Bristol
51°27′06″N 2°36′03″W / 51.4517°N 2.6007°W / 51.4517; -2.6007
Location	Bristol
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Central/High church
Website	bristol-cathedral.co.uk
History
Consecrated	11 April 1148
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed building
Designated	8 January 1959
Style	Norman, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Years built	1220–1877
Specifications
Length	300 feet (91 m)[1]
Nave length	125 feet (38 m)[1]
Width across transepts	29 feet (8.8 m)[1]
Nave height	52 feet (16 m)[1]
Choir height	50 feet (15 m)[1]
Administration
Province	Canterbury
Diocese	Worcester (until 1541) Gloucester (1541–43) Bristol (1543–1836) Gloucester and Bristol (1836–1897) Bristol (1897–present)
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Vivienne Faull
Dean	Mandy Ford
Canon(s)	Nicola Stanley (Canon Pastor) Martin Gainsborough (Bishop's Chaplain and Diocesan Canon) Jonnie Parkin (Canon Missioner)
Curate(s)	Nic Harris
Laity
Director of music	Mark Lee (Master of the Choristers & organist)
Organist(s)	Paul Walton (assistant organist)

Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bristol. The cathedral was originally an abbey dedicated to St Augustine, founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148.^[2] It became the cathedral of the new diocese of Bristol in 1542, after the dissolution of the monasteries. It is a Grade I listed building.^[1]

The earliest surviving fabric is the late 12th century chapter house, which contains some of the first uses of pointed arches in England. The eastern end of the church is medieval, the oldest part being the early 13th century elder lady chapel. The remainder of the east end was rebuilt in the English Decorated Gothic style during the 14th century as a hall church, with aisles the same height as the central choir. In the 15th century the transepts were rebuilt and the central tower added. The nave was incomplete when the abbey was dissolved in 1539 and demolished; a Gothic Revival replacement was constructed in the 19th century by George Edmund Street, partially to the original plans. The western towers, designed by John Loughborough Pearson, were completed in 1888.

In addition to the cathedral's architectural features, it contains several memorials and an historic organ. Little of the original stained glass remains, with some being replaced in the Victorian era and further losses during the Bristol Blitz.