21-665: Bristol Central Library is a historic building on the south side of College Green, Bristol , England. It contains the main collections of Bristol's public library . Built in 1906 by Charles Holden , its design was influential in the development of Edwardian Free Style architecture . Holden would later go on to build the Edward VII Memorial Wing of the Bristol Royal Infirmary , giving Bristol two of its most highly regarded Edwardian buildings. The Library has been designated by Historic England as
42-439: A Grade I listed building . In 1899 Vincent Stuckey Lean left a bequest of £50,000 to replace Bristol's old public library building on King Street . An architectural competition was organised, and won by the firm of H. Percy Adams with designs by his assistant Charles Holden, at a cost of £30,000. The RIBA also credits involvement of Henry Percy Adams, along with Holden, for the reference library reading room. The new library
63-535: A chapel named after a saint called Jordan stood on the green beside an open-air pulpit. A hymn found in a 15th-century book of hours in Bristol suggested Jordan's relics had been entombed in the chapel and were venerated there. After the Reformation, the building was used as a school, and it was finally destroyed in the early 18th century. The Bristol High Cross was moved here from its original location at
84-573: A circle with its apex pointing east, and covers 1.1 hectares (2.7 acres). The road named College Green forms the north-eastern boundary of the Green, Bristol Cathedral marks the south side, and City Hall (formerly the Council House) closes the Green in an arc to the north-west. College Green is owned by the Dean and Chapter of Bristol Cathedral, and managed by Bristol City Council . Originally
105-641: A circular seating area was laid out near the apex and reclaimed cast-iron lamp posts were installed. College Green is surrounded by a number of historic and important public buildings, including City Hall , the Lord Mayor's Chapel , the Cathedral and the Abbey Gatehouse . Queen Victoria's statue stands at the apex of the Green, and in the south-western corner near the Central Library
126-516: A double row of tall trees, though slightly diminished by the removal of the outer row of trees on the south side around 1885 and on the north side for road-widening in 1926. In 1950 at the request of Vincent Harris , controversial architect of City Hall, all remaining trees, the formal promenades, railing, lamps, statue and High Cross were removed and the Green lowered some 4 feet 6 inches, around 75,000 tons of material being taken away. Harris stated that this "would 'make' my building", and considered
147-460: A need to transmit natural light throughout the interior. Holden made extensive use of skylights , glass screens and glass-block roof and floor panels. 51°27′06″N 2°36′09″W / 51.45167°N 2.60250°W / 51.45167; -2.60250 College Green, Bristol College Green is a public open space in Bristol , England . The Green takes the form of a segment of
168-468: A protest by Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate attended by over 30,000, including Greta Thunberg , was held on the Green. Due to recent damp weather, the area became trampled into mud. An appeal for money to repair the damage quickly raised about £15,000 although, as it turned out, only minor interventions were needed to restore the grass. Some of the money was used in April 2021 to create a wildflower area near
189-653: A small hill north of the River Avon separated from Brandon Hill to the north west by a narrow gully, College Green was enclosed to form the precincts of St Augustine's Abbey (now Bristol Cathedral) in the 12th century. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries , the abbey became a collegiate church and its precincts thenceforth became known as 'College Green'. Before the English Reformation ,
210-468: Is a statue of social reformer Raja Rammohun Roy . College Green is a popular meeting place for young people, particularly street sports enthusiasts. This has led to tensions, and in 2007 a Group Dispersal Order was served on the area to allow the police to prevent groups of young people congregating. With its proximity to City Hall , College Green is often the focus of protests against local or national government policy. On 15 October 2011, it became
231-624: Is now preserved in Berkeley Square . In 1991 the eastern end of Deanery Road was closed to motor traffic and grassed over for much of its length, reuniting the Cathedral with its Green as it had been before 1709. A short section of the eastern end of Deanery road was retained to give access to the Royal Hotel and numbers 4–7 College Green to the east of the Cathedral, re-laid with reclaimed setts . As part of this enhancement scheme,
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#1732776469563252-607: The adjoining Abbey Gatehouse. The rear facades to the south and east are in a plainer style, with vertical features such as towers and flat buttresses being used to frame the great mass of the building. Holden's approach to handling large volumes, of which his design for the Library was one of the most highly regarded examples, made him influential within the Modern Movement. For this he has been compared with his contemporary Charles Rennie Mackintosh . A western extension
273-465: The cathedral, and the rest of the funds were passed to a local charity, the Bristol and Bath Parks Foundation, for use elsewhere in the city. The Green was a filming location for scenes for the 2007–2013 E4 drama series Skins , and the 2008 BBC Three comedy-drama Being Human . College Green is mentioned in "Wash Away", a song by Bristol-based band Coasts from their 2016 debut album ' Coasts '. Dean of Bristol The Dean of Bristol
294-850: The entrance hall and for the main staircase. The ground floor next to the entrance hall contains the Lending Library. Above it is the Reference Library Reading Room, whose space includes the first floor and two tiers of galleries. It is tunnel vaulted , with glass above. Next to the Reading Room is the Bristol Room, which contains antique furniture and fittings brought from the old reading room in King Street, including an ornate oak overmantel carved by Grinling Gibbons . The building's size created
315-504: The junction of High , Wine , Broad and Corn Streets, where it had been considered a traffic hazard, in 1733. In 1762 the Green was levelled and laid out as a raised park with stone boundary walls, wooden railings and formal promenades crossing at its centre. The High Cross was removed and stored in the greater cloister of the cathedral, and in 1764 it was given to Henry Hoare for use as a garden ornament at Stourhead , where it can still be seen. The name 'College Green' also applied to
336-437: The removal of the statue and High Cross "a minor detail". Wide new promenades were laid out running parallel to the sides of the Green, with low Portland stone borders. After a period of storage at Redcliffe Wharf during which other locations were considered, and following a campaign for its return, the statue of Queen Victoria was returned to the apex on the Green in 1953. Part of the replica High Cross, vandalised in storage,
357-472: The road which passed on all three sides of the triangular Green. From 1869, the southern leg of this formed part of the new Deanery Road, being the main route out of Bristol heading to the south-west and separating the Green from the Cathedral, whilst the northern leg (from 1758) led down to a crossroads with Frog Lane and Frogmore Street and up Park Street towards Clifton. In 1851 a replica of the High Cross
378-409: The site for Occupy Bristol, a camp established as part of the worldwide "Occupy" protests against social and economic inequality. Following the removal of the protesters, and after nearly two months and £20,000 of remedial work, the Green was re-opened on 4 April 2012. College Green is a regular venue for media launches, press calls, charity fundraisers and product launches. On 29 February 2020,
399-403: Was built in 1967, in a design sympathetic to the original building. In contrast to the exterior, the interior is largely Neoclassical , with extensive use being made of round-arched vaulting . The entrance hall , which is at the eastern end of the north front, has vaulting faced in turquoise glass mosaic . A variety of different kinds of marble is used for the flooring and other facings in
420-408: Was built on land adjacent to the historic Abbey Gatehouse , and opened in 1906. Because of the slope of the site, which falls away sharply to the south, the building has two basement levels creating five visible storeys at the rear, while only three storeys are visible at the front. The north front of the building is a blend of Tudor Revival and Modern Movement styles, designed to harmonise with
441-420: Was erected and placed at the apex of the Green. This remained here until a statue of Queen Victoria (by Joseph Boehm ) took its place in 1888, at which time the replica Cross was moved to the centre of the Green, at the intersection of the formal promenades where the original had stood between 1736 and 1762. For the next sixty years the Green remained a leafy oasis, insulated from the busy roads on either side by
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