Cotham Church is a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style church in

Cotham, Bristol Cotham is an area of Bristol, England, about north of the city centre. It is an affluent, leafy, inner city suburb situated north of the neighbourhoods of Kingsdown and St Paul’s and sandwiched between Gloucester Road (A38) to the east, a ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Since 1975, it has been a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

known as the Church of St Saviour with St Mary or simply as Cotham Parish Church.

History

Highbury Chapel

Cotham Church was originally Highbury

Congregational Chapel Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently an ...

, built in 1842 and opened on 6 July 1843, on land donated by Richard Ash. The architect was

William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a British Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was bo ...

and this was his first commission, obtained through his family's connection with

William Day Wills William Day Wills (6 June 1797 – 13 May 1865) of 2 Portland Square, Bristol, England, was a tobacco merchant who in 1830 together with his younger brother Henry Overton Wills II took over W.D. & H.O. Wills, a company which (building on the s ...

of the tobacco firm W. D. & H. O. Wills.

Henry Overton Wills II Henry Overton Wills II (3 July 1800 – 23 November 1871) of Ashley House,Ashley House, Somerset Street, Kingsdown, Bristol, in Bristol, England, was a tobacco merchant who in 1830 together with his elder brother William Day Wills co-founded ...

, was Principal

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

of the chapel during the mid-19th century. The exact location seems to have been chosen in part because its association with the 'Marian Martyrs' who were burned to death for heresy near the site during the 1550s. There is a memorial to them on the exterior north wall of the church and another inside. The chapel was built in what had been known as 'Gallows Field'. The gallows itself was situated over what is now the crossing point at the start of Cotham Road, between

Bewell's Cross Bewell's Cross was a large medieval stone cross and boundary marker on the northern edge of the County of Bristol. It was also the site of the city gallows from at least the fifteenth century till 1820. The surviving stump of the Cross was dug u ...

and one of the boundary stones of the county of Bristol. The gallows was moved to the

New Gaol New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

in 1820 and the cross base was dug up in 1829 when Cotham Road was laid out. A stone said to be from Bewell's Cross is embedded in what is now the boundary wall of the church, with a plaque above it. The name 'Highbury Chapel' had been chosen by the time the foundation stone was laid, in honour of the nonconformist theological college,

Highbury College Highbury College is a further education college in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It offers vocational and academic education and training, including apprenticeships, A-levels and foundation degrees. The college is a member of the Collab G ...

in London. This was the 'largest and most prestigious' dissenting academy in England at that time. Highbury College was also where the chapel's first minister studied. The name 'Highbury' was soon adopted by various properties and houses built in the area, so that it became a general name for the district. These still feature in local names such as Highbury Villas, Highbury Parade and the pub, Highbury Vaults. Highbury Chapel interior 1902

The chapel opened to worship in July 1843 and a church was formed, with an initial congregation of twenty-one people, who were ministered to by visiting preachers. In July 1844, the Rev. David Thomas was appointed as minister, remaining in post till 1875. He became a prominent member of the

Congregational Union of England and Wales The Congregational Union of England and Wales brought together churches in England and Wales in the Congregational tradition between 1831 and 1966. Background The Congregational churches emerged from the Puritan movement, each church operating ...

, serving as its Chairman in 1865. The chapel grew during this period, partly because of the Rev Thomas' reputation as a preacher and partly as a result of the residential and commercial development of the area. Architectural developments include the construction of the chapel's

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

, tower, transepts and vestries, as well as a school that included a lecture room and three classrooms. These were all added in 1863 by

Edward William Godwin Edward William Godwin (26 May 1833 – 6 October 1886) was a progressive English architect-designer, who began his career working in the strongly polychromatic "John Ruskin, Ruskinian Gothic" style of mid-Victorian Britain, inspired by ''Th ...

, raising the seating capacity to 700. When the Rev David Thomas died in 1875, his son, Arnold Thomas, was appointed minister. Arnold Thomas's reputation also went well beyond Bristol. Like his father, he served as Chairman of the

. At one time he was apparently offered a professorship at Mansfield College, which was

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

's first nonconformist college. Despite being a member of the 'free churches', Arnold Thomas maintained good relations with the Bishop and Dean of Bristol. In 1918 they invited him to lead the prayers at the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, on behalf of the city's nonconformists, at the thanksgiving service to celebrate the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

that ended the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Anglican church

In 1972 the

broke up, with parts of it merging into the United Reform Church, while other parts formed alternative unions, or disaffiliated. In 1975, the

purchased Highbury Chapel, converting it into an Anglican church. It is now known as the Church of St Saviour with St Mary or simply as Cotham Parish Church. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of "Cotham: St Saviour with St Mary" is part of a

united benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

with St Paul's Church, Clifton, Bristol in the Archdeaconry of Bristol in the

Diocese of Bristol The Diocese of Bristol is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Church of England in the Province of Canterbury, England. It is based in the city of Bristol and covers South Gloucestershire and parts of north Wiltshire, as far east ...

. The church stands in the Liberal Catholic

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

of the Church of England. The church has been designated by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

as a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

References

{{Culture in Bristol Church of England church buildings in Bristol Churches completed in 1843 19th-century Church of England church buildings Grade II* listed churches in Bristol William Butterfield buildings 1843 establishments in England

History

Highbury Chapel

Anglican church

See also

References