St Clement Newfoundland Road St.Paul's, Bristol 1855 - 1941 |
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St Clement Newfoundland Road St.Paul's, Bristol 1855 - 1941 |
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St Clement's church was a large church on the corner of Houlton Street and Newfoundland Road. The foundation stone was laid on May 24th 1854, the church opened in 1855. The tower at the SW corner was never completed but the spirelet reached a height of 65 feet.
If any of you have travelled into Bristol by car from the M32 motorway, you will have driven over the site of the church, maybe even stopped over it, for it is under the in-bound carriageway at the first set of traffic lights (the left turn is Houlton Street).
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This postcard gives an
impression of the length and spaciousness of the
interior. The head stops in the spandrels look fun.
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| This closer view of the chancel is even earlier, and these lights look to be possibly gasoliers. |  |
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It all came to an end
during the Second World War. In the words of the then
vicar Rev. G.R. Fooks "the
actual destruction of St clement was not during a Bristol
blitz, but on the Wednesday before the Good Friday blitz
of 1941, when one odd plane dropped stuff causing a fire
in Broadmead. The next Jerry to come over got his line on
that fire but missed by nearly 500 yards - and got us!
Nothing else fell in Bristol that night, 9th/10th
April." In fact, the destruction of the church was probably an aid to the diocese. In an area where slum clearances were taking place even before the bombs fell, the population of the parish had reduced considerably. Within a minute or two's walk of this church were several others, St Paul's, St Agnes, St Matthias on the Ropewalk, St Jude, Holy Trinity. And of these only St Agnes remains in use today. |
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