St Jude's Church, Bristol

The church was established in the district known historically as Poyntzpool (later renamed St Jude's after the church), an area located outside Lawford's Gate. In the early 18th century, the land, then known as the Lamb Ground or Great Wells, was developed by Nathaniel Wade, who laid out a street grid including Wade Street, Great George Street, and Great Anne Street. Contemporary reports from 1848 described the locality as "one of, if not the most squalid and abominable, quarters of the city," noting that the specific site selected for the church had previously been a common ground used for "ruffianism," gambling, and boxing matches. The area was also historically associated with…

The nave roof is open to the rafters, with principals resting on stone corbels carved with foliage representing vine, ivy, maple, and thorn. The chancel roof is of a polygon form, originally vaulted with wood. The 1849 consecration record described the chancel ceiling as being richly colored in blue and powdered with stars. The chancel arch was originally crossed by an oak screen with moulded tracery. The east window, consisting of five lights with flowing tracery, was glazed with cathedral and Venetian glass during the 1884 renovation. The church's final organ was built in 1888 by W. G. Vowles of Bristol, originally for St Matthias on the Weir. It was transferred to St Jude's . Following…