Castle Park, Bristol
Encyclopedia
Castle Park is a public open space in Bristol
, England
, managed by Bristol City Council. It is bounded by the Floating Harbour and Castle Street to the south, Lower Castle Street to the east, and Broad Weir, Newgate and Wine Street to the north. Its western boundary is less obviously defined and has been the subject of controversy, perhaps because the area around High Street and St Mary-le-Port Church, though not part of the park and always intended for development, is often considered at the same time as the park. The park was completed in 1978, and occupies most of the site which had contained Bristol's main shopping area. Much of this area was heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War, and that which remained was subsequently demolished.
The ruined tower of St Mary-le-Port church
stands to the west of the park, surrounded by derelict financial office buildings. Adjoining the ruins of St Peter's church
in the middle of the park is a sensory herb garden, and five silver birch trees as a memorial to the beaches of the D-Day landings. To the east is a grassy arena, and the partially-excavated remains of Bristol Castle
with a preserved vaulted chamber. There is also a bandstand and a children's play area.
Tree-lined St Peter’s Square, to the north of St Peter's church, has been home to various events including German Christmas markets . In recent summers a tethered balloon has been placed near the bandstand, offering ascents to sightseers.
Recent attempts to develop the area between the park's western edge and High Street have proved controversial; Bristol City Council are keen to replace derelict buildings with a mixed-use development to help reconnect the Old City to Broadmead
and raise funds to improve the park; others would rather see the park extended to High Street.
period on the northern or Mercia
n side of a crossing point of the River Avon, at or near to the present Bristol Bridge
. The town lay entirely between the Avon and the Frome
, which at that time emerged into the Avon just downstream of Bristol Bridge.
Archaeological excavations of the area in 1962-1963 suggest that the original settlement was centred to the east of St Peter’s Church, with Mary-le-Port on its western limit. The building of Bristol Castle in the latter part of the 11th century resulted in the focus of the settlement being moved to the west, where it developed into a symmetrical plan centred on the crossroads of High Street, Wine Street, Broad Street
and Corn Street. The area around Mary-le-Port Street was thus the most ancient part of the mediaeval city. Bristol Castle
was home to the Norman garrison, and was a massive structure whose keep was comparable to that of the Tower of London. The castle occupied the whole of the eastern end of today’s Castle park, from just east of St Peter’s Church to Lower Castle Street.
In 1612 Robert Aldworth
, Mayor of Bristol, rebuilt St Peter’s Hospital
on a site between St Peter’s Church and the Floating Harbour. This ‘beautiful house with its elaborate carving’ became the Bristol Mint in 1695, and was considered to be Bristol’s greatest architectural loss of the Second World War.
By the 16th century the castle was ‘tending to ruin’, and following his victory in the English Civil War
Oliver Cromwell
decreed its destruction in 1655, a process which was completed within a fortnight. The castle had stood on the main route from Bristol to London, and following its destruction a commercial avenue opened along Castle Street from the mediaeval city towards Old Market
. The demolition of Lawford’s Gate at the eastern end of Old Market Street extended this into West Street, creating an uninterrupted route into the bustling heart of Bristol.
Wine Street and Castle Street became the main shopping streets, where retailers such as Boots
, Jones’s (later to become part of the Debenhams
group), the Co-op
and Marks & Spencer
traded. Baker Baker had large stores in Bridge Street, Wine Street and Mary-le-Port Street; two of these were connected by a high bridge across Mary-le-Port Street. The area also hosted a cinema (the News Theatre) and its narrow winding back-streets contained many independent shops, hotels, and pubs. At the corner of High Street and Wine Street stood the 'most loved fragment of Old Bristol': The Dutch House
.
, and their objective was to destroy Bristol's industry and port facilities. 135 aircraft reached the target area, and dropped 156250 kg (344,472.3 lb) of high explosives,4750 kg (10,472 lb) of oil bombs and 12,500 incendiaries. As the raid progressed, the fires could be seen from 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) away. Wide areas of the city were struck, but the most concentrated damage occurred in the area between Broad Quay and Old Market
where fierce fires burnt through the night. By the morning, 200 Bristolians were dead and 689 injured, four Luftwaffe crewmen were dead, one injured and four captured, two aircraft were lost, and a large part of the historic heart of Bristol was a smouldering ruin.
The destruction was not total, however. Post-war photographs show that buildings survived intact on Bridge Street,
High Street, Castle Street
and Peter Street.
The west end of Narrow Wine Street, a 'fantastic little old thoroughfare', was more or less intact; Castle Mill Street and Castle Green received little damage,
and Upper, Middle and Lower Terrace survived.
More importantly, the irreplaceable mediaeval street plan remained.
The main objection to this plan came from the independent traders who did not wish to relocate because they felt that the proposed new shopping area was ‘off the beaten track’. This objection was not unreasonable, as in its pre-war topography Bristol had a long shopping axis that started at Stapleton Road to the east, passed through Old Market
into Castle Street, Wine Street, and the City Markets
, and then via The Centre
and Park Street
to Queens Road and Whiteladies Road
. Moving the central shopping area would break this axis. There was also concern about the serious negative social and economic impacts of ‘sterilising’ such a large area in the centre of the city. However when the Bristol Retail Traders Federation, representing the small traders, produced a poll showing that 13,000 people wished to retain the shopping centre on its current site whereas only 400 preferred to see it moved, the local Labour party dismissed the poll describing it as 'undemocratic' and comparing the Federation's methods to those of Hitler.
By 1966, the shops had been rebuilt in 'barren' Broadmead (at the expense of demolishing an area of Victorian
, Georgian
and Tudor
buildings that had escaped the wartime bombing more or less unscathed), and the Wine Street and Castle Street area was being used for car parking. The picturesque area around Narrow Wine Street and Castle Mill Street had been demolished to create modern Newgate, and Old Market, severed from Bristol’s shopping axis by the new Temple Way Underpass and the destruction of Castle Street, was in serious decline. The plan for Castle Park was crystallising, however. The ruined St Peter’s Church would be surrounded by a museum and an art gallery; to the east of this there would be an arts centre and the remaining area east to Lower Castle Street would be a park. The south-western corner nearest Bristol Bridge
would contain a riverside hotel, and the north-western corner would be home to 'a block for cultural, professional and exhibition purposes'.
In the event, the north-western corner was leased to the Bank of England and Norwich Union Insurance
(whose offices now stand derelict), and the critical corner site where the Dutch House had stood was replaced by a link road to a short section of dual-carriageway linking High Street with Wine Street. Plans for a civic centre were dropped as being too expensive.
Finally, in 1977, work began on an ‘emasculated’ version of the new park. This was designed by Bristol City Council’s parks department and, largely for financial reasons, it contained few of the features intended by earlier plans but was much larger than that originally planned. The last remaining vestiges of the mediaeval street plan, Dolphin Street and Peter Street, were buried.
The scheme provoked opposition from park users who felt that any reduction in the area of the park was not acceptable. 'Surprised by the extent of feeling', Bristol City Council decided to revise the plans. Campaigners then applied to have 'Town Green' status applied to the park, but this was declined in 2009.
In 2010, the Mary-le-Port site was listed as being 'for sale' by Bristol City Council.
remains above ground. The most tangible survival is a vaulted chamber of the King’s Hall, formerly on Tower Street near the now-truncated Castle Street. Other than that, the excavated remains of the south wall can be seen near the landing stage, and near St Peter’s Church the sally port
and traces of the west wall are visible. The foundations of the keep are on show next to the public toilets on Newgate.
The park contains a number of memorials.
The ruins of St Peter’s Church are a memorial to the civilians and auxiliary personnel killed in the aerial bombing of Bristol
, and a plaque on its wall lists their names. Adjoining the church is a sensory herb garden
and The Normandy Garden of Peace, which was opened on 5 November 1995, with five Silver Birch trees trees, managed by Bristol’s D-Day veterans, in memory of the five D-Day beaches. There are also memorials for trees for Ann Frank and the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
.
The ruined tower of St Mary-le-Port church, subject of a painting by John Piper
that appeared on a 1968 1s. 6d
. postage stamp
,
stands on the western edge of the park, surrounded by now-derelict buildings.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, managed by Bristol City Council. It is bounded by the Floating Harbour and Castle Street to the south, Lower Castle Street to the east, and Broad Weir, Newgate and Wine Street to the north. Its western boundary is less obviously defined and has been the subject of controversy, perhaps because the area around High Street and St Mary-le-Port Church, though not part of the park and always intended for development, is often considered at the same time as the park. The park was completed in 1978, and occupies most of the site which had contained Bristol's main shopping area. Much of this area was heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War, and that which remained was subsequently demolished.
The ruined tower of St Mary-le-Port church
St Mary le Port Church, Bristol
St Mary le Port is a ruined parish church in the centre of Bristol, England. It is said to have been founded in Saxon times, and rebuilt and enlarged between the 11th and 16th centuries....
stands to the west of the park, surrounded by derelict financial office buildings. Adjoining the ruins of St Peter's church
St Peter, Bristol
St Peter's was a church in what is now Castle Park, Bristol, England.The church has Saxon foundations, with a 12th century lower tower, the rest of the church being built in the 15th century. Excavations in 1975 suggest that this was the site of Bristol's first church; the 12th century city wall...
in the middle of the park is a sensory herb garden, and five silver birch trees as a memorial to the beaches of the D-Day landings. To the east is a grassy arena, and the partially-excavated remains of Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port.-History:...
with a preserved vaulted chamber. There is also a bandstand and a children's play area.
Tree-lined St Peter’s Square, to the north of St Peter's church, has been home to various events including German Christmas markets . In recent summers a tethered balloon has been placed near the bandstand, offering ascents to sightseers.
Recent attempts to develop the area between the park's western edge and High Street have proved controversial; Bristol City Council are keen to replace derelict buildings with a mixed-use development to help reconnect the Old City to Broadmead
Broadmead
Broadmead is a street in the central area of Bristol, England, which has given its name to the principal shopping district of the city.- History :The name of the street was first recorded in 1383 as Brodemede...
and raise funds to improve the park; others would rather see the park extended to High Street.
History
The town of Bristol was settled at some time in the Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
period on the northern or Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
n side of a crossing point of the River Avon, at or near to the present Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge is an old bridge over the floating harbour in Bristol, England, the original course of the River Avon.-History:Bristol's name is derived from the Saxon 'Brigstowe' or 'place of the bridge', but it is unclear when the first bridge over the Avon was built. The Avon has the 2nd highest...
. The town lay entirely between the Avon and the Frome
River Frome, Bristol
The River Frome is a river, approximately long, which rises in Dodington Park, South Gloucestershire, and flows in a south westerly direction through Bristol, joining the former course of the river Avon in Bristol's Floating Harbour. The mean flow at Frenchay is The name Frome is shared with...
, which at that time emerged into the Avon just downstream of Bristol Bridge.
Archaeological excavations of the area in 1962-1963 suggest that the original settlement was centred to the east of St Peter’s Church, with Mary-le-Port on its western limit. The building of Bristol Castle in the latter part of the 11th century resulted in the focus of the settlement being moved to the west, where it developed into a symmetrical plan centred on the crossroads of High Street, Wine Street, Broad Street
Broad Street, Bristol
Broad Street, along with High Street, Wine Street and Corn Street, is one of the four original streets that have made up the city of Bristol since Saxon times, when it was the burgh of Brycgstow....
and Corn Street. The area around Mary-le-Port Street was thus the most ancient part of the mediaeval city. Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port.-History:...
was home to the Norman garrison, and was a massive structure whose keep was comparable to that of the Tower of London. The castle occupied the whole of the eastern end of today’s Castle park, from just east of St Peter’s Church to Lower Castle Street.
In 1612 Robert Aldworth
Robert Aldworth
Robert Aldworth was a Bristol-born English merchant and philanthropist. Much of his wealth, although used often for generous purposes, was acquired through the trade and exploitation of slaves. He became Mayor of Bristol in 1609....
, Mayor of Bristol, rebuilt St Peter’s Hospital
St Peter's Hospital, Bristol
St Peter's Hospital, Bristol could be found to the rear of St Peter's church until it was destroyed in the Bristol Blitz in 1940. A house had stood on that site since approximately 1400 and the hospital was a timbered, gabled mansion. In 1607 the building was bought by a rich merchant named Robert...
on a site between St Peter’s Church and the Floating Harbour. This ‘beautiful house with its elaborate carving’ became the Bristol Mint in 1695, and was considered to be Bristol’s greatest architectural loss of the Second World War.
By the 16th century the castle was ‘tending to ruin’, and following his victory in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
decreed its destruction in 1655, a process which was completed within a fortnight. The castle had stood on the main route from Bristol to London, and following its destruction a commercial avenue opened along Castle Street from the mediaeval city towards Old Market
Old Market, Bristol
Old Market is a Conservation Area of national significance, to the east of the city centre in Bristol, England. Old Market Street and West Street form the central axis of the area, which is approximately bounded by New Street and Lawfords Gate to the north, Trinity Road and Trinity Street to the...
. The demolition of Lawford’s Gate at the eastern end of Old Market Street extended this into West Street, creating an uninterrupted route into the bustling heart of Bristol.
Wine Street and Castle Street became the main shopping streets, where retailers such as Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
, Jones’s (later to become part of the Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
group), the Co-op
The Co-operative brand
The Co-operative is a common branding used by a variety of co-operatives based in the United Kingdom.Many in the UK mistakenly consider the Co-op to be a single national business, however each Co-operative is actually a franchise selling branded goods produced by the Co-operative Group The...
and Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
traded. Baker Baker had large stores in Bridge Street, Wine Street and Mary-le-Port Street; two of these were connected by a high bridge across Mary-le-Port Street. The area also hosted a cinema (the News Theatre) and its narrow winding back-streets contained many independent shops, hotels, and pubs. At the corner of High Street and Wine Street stood the 'most loved fragment of Old Bristol': The Dutch House
The Dutch House, Bristol
The Dutch House was a large timber-framed building situated at Nos 1 and 2, High St Bristol, England. It was a well-known local landmark until its destruction in 1940.-History:...
.
24 November 1940
On the afternoon of 24 November 1940, 148 aircraft of the Luftwaffe left airfields in Northern France destined for Bristol. The concentration point was to be the City DocksBristol Harbour
Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and...
, and their objective was to destroy Bristol's industry and port facilities. 135 aircraft reached the target area, and dropped 156250 kg (344,472.3 lb) of high explosives,4750 kg (10,472 lb) of oil bombs and 12,500 incendiaries. As the raid progressed, the fires could be seen from 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) away. Wide areas of the city were struck, but the most concentrated damage occurred in the area between Broad Quay and Old Market
Old Market, Bristol
Old Market is a Conservation Area of national significance, to the east of the city centre in Bristol, England. Old Market Street and West Street form the central axis of the area, which is approximately bounded by New Street and Lawfords Gate to the north, Trinity Road and Trinity Street to the...
where fierce fires burnt through the night. By the morning, 200 Bristolians were dead and 689 injured, four Luftwaffe crewmen were dead, one injured and four captured, two aircraft were lost, and a large part of the historic heart of Bristol was a smouldering ruin.
The destruction was not total, however. Post-war photographs show that buildings survived intact on Bridge Street,
High Street, Castle Street
and Peter Street.
The west end of Narrow Wine Street, a 'fantastic little old thoroughfare', was more or less intact; Castle Mill Street and Castle Green received little damage,
and Upper, Middle and Lower Terrace survived.
More importantly, the irreplaceable mediaeval street plan remained.
Replanning
The idea that Bristol's main shopping area should be moved away from the Castle Street and Wine Street area was first proposed to Bristol Corporation's Planning and Reconstruction Committee by the Multiple Traders' Federation (MTF), representing the larger retailers and chain-stores, in October 1943. They suggested that the pre-war shopping area should be set aside as a civic area with perhaps a concert hall or similar building and an open space, and that the central shopping area should be moved to a less-constrained site. This suggestion formed part of the City Engineer's Master Plan of February 1944, which envisaged that the area would contain a limited number of buildings such as a conference hall, with underground parking for 2,000 cars. The removal of the shopping area was considered desirable because the fire that had destroyed so much of the area was in large part sustained by its congested nature, and in any case many of the chain-stores represented by the MTF wanted larger sites.The main objection to this plan came from the independent traders who did not wish to relocate because they felt that the proposed new shopping area was ‘off the beaten track’. This objection was not unreasonable, as in its pre-war topography Bristol had a long shopping axis that started at Stapleton Road to the east, passed through Old Market
Old Market, Bristol
Old Market is a Conservation Area of national significance, to the east of the city centre in Bristol, England. Old Market Street and West Street form the central axis of the area, which is approximately bounded by New Street and Lawfords Gate to the north, Trinity Road and Trinity Street to the...
into Castle Street, Wine Street, and the City Markets
St Nicholas Market
St Nicholas Market is a market in Bristol, England. It is located on Corn Street, in The Exchange at Bristol City Centre. It is also home to Bristol Farmers' Market, the Nails Market, and the Slow Food Market, all of which are located on Corn Street in front of the Exchange.-External links:* *...
, and then via The Centre
The Centre, Bristol
The Centre is a partially pedestrianised public open space in the central area of Bristol, England, created by covering over the River Frome. The northern end of The Centre is a paved area circuited by Colston Avenue; the southern end is separated from this by a major road junction and is a larger...
and Park Street
Park Street, Bristol
Park Street is a main street in Bristol, England, linking the city centre to Clifton. It forms part of the A4018.The building of Park Street started in 1761 and it was Bristol's earliest example of uniformly stepped hillside terracing. The street runs from College Green up a steep incline...
to Queens Road and Whiteladies Road
Whiteladies Road
Whiteladies Road is a main road in Bristol, England. It runs north from the Victoria Rooms to Durdham Down, and separates Clifton on the west side from Redland on the east...
. Moving the central shopping area would break this axis. There was also concern about the serious negative social and economic impacts of ‘sterilising’ such a large area in the centre of the city. However when the Bristol Retail Traders Federation, representing the small traders, produced a poll showing that 13,000 people wished to retain the shopping centre on its current site whereas only 400 preferred to see it moved, the local Labour party dismissed the poll describing it as 'undemocratic' and comparing the Federation's methods to those of Hitler.
By 1966, the shops had been rebuilt in 'barren' Broadmead (at the expense of demolishing an area of Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
, Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
and Tudor
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
buildings that had escaped the wartime bombing more or less unscathed), and the Wine Street and Castle Street area was being used for car parking. The picturesque area around Narrow Wine Street and Castle Mill Street had been demolished to create modern Newgate, and Old Market, severed from Bristol’s shopping axis by the new Temple Way Underpass and the destruction of Castle Street, was in serious decline. The plan for Castle Park was crystallising, however. The ruined St Peter’s Church would be surrounded by a museum and an art gallery; to the east of this there would be an arts centre and the remaining area east to Lower Castle Street would be a park. The south-western corner nearest Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge
Bristol Bridge is an old bridge over the floating harbour in Bristol, England, the original course of the River Avon.-History:Bristol's name is derived from the Saxon 'Brigstowe' or 'place of the bridge', but it is unclear when the first bridge over the Avon was built. The Avon has the 2nd highest...
would contain a riverside hotel, and the north-western corner would be home to 'a block for cultural, professional and exhibition purposes'.
In the event, the north-western corner was leased to the Bank of England and Norwich Union Insurance
Norwich Union
Norwich Union was the name given to insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It is the biggest life insurance provider in the United Kingdom, and has a strong position in motor insurance...
(whose offices now stand derelict), and the critical corner site where the Dutch House had stood was replaced by a link road to a short section of dual-carriageway linking High Street with Wine Street. Plans for a civic centre were dropped as being too expensive.
Finally, in 1977, work began on an ‘emasculated’ version of the new park. This was designed by Bristol City Council’s parks department and, largely for financial reasons, it contained few of the features intended by earlier plans but was much larger than that originally planned. The last remaining vestiges of the mediaeval street plan, Dolphin Street and Peter Street, were buried.
Mary-le-Port development
In 2006, Bristol City Council announced its intention to redevelop the area to the west of Castle Park, known as the 'Mary-le-Port' site. These plans encompassed the by then derelict financial buildings, and the area to the west of St Peter’s church , about 5% of the park. It was to be a 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²) mixed-use development to 'regenerate this historic heart of Bristol' and to 'improve connections between Broadmead, the Old City and Redcliffe' and 'enhance the setting of St Mary-le-Port church'. The council selected Deeley Freed as its preferred developer.The scheme provoked opposition from park users who felt that any reduction in the area of the park was not acceptable. 'Surprised by the extent of feeling', Bristol City Council decided to revise the plans. Campaigners then applied to have 'Town Green' status applied to the park, but this was declined in 2009.
In 2010, the Mary-le-Port site was listed as being 'for sale' by Bristol City Council.
Sites of Interest
Very little of Bristol CastleBristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port.-History:...
remains above ground. The most tangible survival is a vaulted chamber of the King’s Hall, formerly on Tower Street near the now-truncated Castle Street. Other than that, the excavated remains of the south wall can be seen near the landing stage, and near St Peter’s Church the sally port
Sally port
The primary modern meaning for sally port is a secure, controlled entryway, as at a fortification or a prison. The entrance is usually protected in some way, such as with a fixed wall blocking the door which must be circumvented before entering, but which prevents direct enemy fire from a distance...
and traces of the west wall are visible. The foundations of the keep are on show next to the public toilets on Newgate.
The park contains a number of memorials.
The ruins of St Peter’s Church are a memorial to the civilians and auxiliary personnel killed in the aerial bombing of Bristol
Bristol Blitz
Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed British city of World War II. The presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company made it a target for bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe who were able to trace a course up the River Avon from Avonmouth using reflected moonlight on the...
, and a plaque on its wall lists their names. Adjoining the church is a sensory herb garden
Sensory garden
A sensory garden is a garden or other plot specifically created to be accessible and enjoyable to visitors, both disabled and non-disabled. The purpose of such a provision is to provide individual and combined sensory opportunities for the user such that they may not normally experience.A sensory...
and The Normandy Garden of Peace, which was opened on 5 November 1995, with five Silver Birch trees trees, managed by Bristol’s D-Day veterans, in memory of the five D-Day beaches. There are also memorials for trees for Ann Frank and the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
.
The ruined tower of St Mary-le-Port church, subject of a painting by John Piper
John Piper (artist)
John Egerton Christmas Piper, CH was a 20th-century English painter and printmaker. For much of his life he lived at Fawley Bottom in Buckinghamshire, near Henley-on-Thames.-Life:...
that appeared on a 1968 1s. 6d
Penny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
. postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
,
stands on the western edge of the park, surrounded by now-derelict buildings.