39-468: Bristol High Cross is a monumental market cross said to have been erected c.1373 in the centre of Bristol , England, to commemorate the granting of a charter by Edward III to make Bristol a county , separate from Somerset and Gloucestershire. It was likely constructed on the site of an earlier market cross. The cross at it survives today is in Decorated Gothic style . In 1764 it was moved to
78-418: A finial . The material was oolitic limestone but, as this was susceptible to frost damage, this was subsequently painted in colours of blue, gold, red and vermilion . The vermilion was the predominant colour of the statues, being used for their dresses, and aged well. The base of the cross displayed statues of monarchs in alcoves. In 1663, the cross was rebuilt to add a third tier for four more statues and
117-625: A baron. Market crosses were originally from the distinctive tradition in Early Medieval Insular art of free-standing stone standing or high crosses , often elaborately carved, which goes back to the 7th century. Market crosses can be found in many market towns in Britain. British emigrants often installed such crosses in their new cities, and several can be found in Canada and Australia. The market cross could be representing
156-614: A student of Dr Samuel Ward in the late 1620s, reported that 'beer brewed thereof is wholesome against the spleen; and Dr. Samuel Ward, afflicted with that malady, and living in Sidney College , was prescribed the constant drinking thereof, though it was costly to bring it through the Severn and narrow seas to Lynn , and thence by the river to Cambridge .' In 1650 Dr Venner recommended Hotwells water for those 'who have hot livers, feeble brains, and red pimply faces' and after 1680
195-798: A terminus of a Bristol Tramways route, Hotwells railway station was the city terminus of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier line to Avonmouth , the lower terminus of the Clifton Rocks Railway , the Rownham Ferry which crossed the River Avon to Bower Ashton , the locks giving access to the Floating Harbour, and the landing stages used by passenger steamers. In the 1920s, the A4 Portway Road
234-583: Is at Wymondham , Norfolk. Hotwells Hotwells is a neighbourhood in the English port city of Bristol . It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton , and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour . The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge , which connects the docks to the sea, lies at the western end of Hotwells. The eastern end of the area is at
273-512: Is different from what it is anywhere else.' Later customers of the water included Admiral Horatio Nelson , whose correspondence includes references to his purchase of Bristol water in 1798. Known for his abstemious habits, it was said 'He never exceeded four glasses of wine after dinner, and seldom drank three; and even those were diluted with either common or Bristol water.' The Jacobs Well Theatre , built in 1729, provided entertainment for visitors and Bristolians, however Hotwells never attained
312-402: Is served by two schools, Hotwells Primary School and St George C of E Primary School. The latter has been under threat of closure by Bristol City Council , but is now to be re-evaluated in 2013. The nearest secondary schools are Ashton Park School , Cotham School and Bristol Cathedral Choir School . Towards the end of the 19th century, the western end of the district was the location of
351-584: The Church of Holy Trinity , designed by Cockrell, and Albemarle Row, a Georgian terrace. Also listed is the Pump House , formerly the power plant for Bristol Harbour 's bridges and other machinery, now a public house . Hotwells features in two 18th century novels. The Expedition of Humphry Clinker , by Tobias Smollett has scenes set at the spa. Fanny Burney 's Evelina is partly set in Hotwells, as
390-544: The Stourhead estate in Wiltshire , where it still stands. The cross stood in the centre of the town, at the crossroads of its four main streets ( 51°27′18″N 2°35′35″W / 51.4549245°N 2.5929585°W / 51.4549245; -2.5929585 ). It has traditionally been said to have been built in 1373, to commemorate the granting of county status to Bristol. However, the earliest documentary reference to
429-558: The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 51°06′16″N 2°19′19″W / 51.10453°N 2.32200°W / 51.10453; -2.32200 Market cross A market cross , or in Scots , a mercat cross , is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns , where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or
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#1732790157997468-565: The 18th century Hotwells Water was extensively bottled and exported. Daniel Defoe noted in 1724 that there were over 15 glass-houses in Bristol, 'which are more than in London...and vast numbers of bottles are used for sending the water of the Hotwell not only over England but all over the world." Alexander Pope was another admirer, claiming in 1739 that 'I am satisfied that the water at the Well
507-561: The 20th century much of the housing in Hotwells was in a poor state of repair, but since the 1970s there has been refurbishment of the older Georgian properties and new housing built on derelict dockside wharves and along the Hotwell Road. Grenville Chapel, a Methodist church, was opened in 1839 in an Early English Style building. For many years it was used as a garage and is now housing association managed flats. Hotwells has several of Bristol's Grade II* listed buildings , including
546-643: The United Kingdom , both electoral wards are in the Bristol Central constituency . Hotwells and Cliftonwood Community Association (HCCA), is a registered charity run by volunteers to improve the quality of life for those who live and work locally. For many years HCCA ran the Hope Centre in the listed Georgian Hope Chapel , which provided a base for community groups and offered a programme of arts events. The Hope Centre closed in 2001 following
585-424: The architect of the new Council House did not want anything in front of his new creation, the 1851 replica cross was taken down in 1950. The upper stage of the replica was saved by fundraising and re-erected during a small ceremony in 1956 in nearby Berkeley Square in Bristol. Four of the statues of the original cross at Stourhead were replaced by replicas in 1980, with the originals placed on indefinite loan with
624-581: The area. There is a ferry service to the city centre and Temple Meads railway station . For elections to Bristol City Council , Hotwells is divided between electoral wards. Areas to the north of Hotwells Road are in Clifton ward; areas south of Hotwells road, and some buildings fronting directly onto the north side of the road, are in Hotwells and Harbourside . For elections to the Parliament of
663-598: The city dignitaries standing at the cross in their finery. It was also used as a site for public punishment, as can be seen from James Millerd's 1673 depiction of the High Cross, which shows a man sitting in the city stocks next to the Cross. As Bristol prospered, the cross became an obstruction to traffic. In 1733 a nearby silversmith John Vaughan who occupied the building later known as the Dutch House complained that
702-473: The complaints came from the visitors who had come to the spa of Hotwells . They were wont to promenade on the green in line abreast and the cross impeded the great numbers so inclined – lines of eight or more. A fund was collected to improve the green as a promenade but this was exhausted in raising the green. The cross was once again removed in August 1762, and the pieces of the cross lay disassembled in
741-431: The cross is in a 1403 or 1404 civic ordinance, which mentions an 'opyn place bysydes the hyecrois of Bristow'. Dating the surviving cross architecturally or archaeologically is problematic, since it was renovated and rebuilt many times over the following centuries. For instance, in 1525 the mayor of Bristol ordered that 'the heddes of the crosses at the galowes [ Bewell's Cross ] and markett place [High Cross] shuld be made of
780-442: The cross threatened his life and property whenever there was a high wind and so persuaded the magistrates to have the cross taken down. The parts were stored in the guildhall until Alderman Price and other citizens arranged for it to be erected again in spring 1736 on College Green by the cathedral . It was there admired as a quaint antiquity but it only took thirty years for it once again to be thought an obstruction. This time,
819-620: The eponymous heroine visits Bristol during its spa-town years. The 2001 United Kingdom census recorded Hotwells as two Super Output Area Lower Layers , 034A, the western part of Hotwells and 034C in the east. The latter layer included parts of Cliftonwood . The figures recorded in the two areas were broadly similar with 034A recording a population of 1,485, with about 58% being described as economically active, 17% students and 7% retired. 42% of homes were owner occupied. 50% of residents had university degrees or equivalent. 50% described themselves as Christian and 44% as having no religion. In 034C
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#1732790157997858-497: The figures were a population of 1,522 with about 66% being described as economically active, 12% students and 6.5% retired; 65% of homes were owner occupied; 55% of residents had university degrees or equivalent; 50% described themselves as Christian and 46% as having no religion; and 1,438 persons in 034A were described as white, with 28 of mixed race, 19 Asian, 17 black and 18 Chinese. In 034C 1,374 were described as white, 33 of mixed race, 24 Asian, 24 black and 29 Chinese. The area
897-471: The form of little bubbles, as if the whole had been in a ferment." He says the water tasted "particularly pleasant and soft" was "quite inodorous" and "lukewarm" only, rising from the pump at a constant 76 °F. In 1692 the Society of Merchant Venturers leased the springs and a pump room was built. The pump room of 1696 was demolished and replaced by Hotwells House in 1816 which was itself demolished when
936-524: The great cloister of cathedral. In October 1764, Dean Cutts-Barton then gave it to Henry "the Magnificent" Hoare and the materials except the very worn lower columns were carted away to adorn his grand estate of Stourhead in Wiltshire , where it was rebuilt in 1765. It remains there now in the care of the National Trust . The Victorian citizens of Bristol sought to regain their cross but
975-459: The neglected spring.' A new pump room was built in 1822, but was demolished in 1867 to allow for widening of the River Avon. A new pump was set up in 1877 and continued in use till 1913. However, the pump appears not to have tapped into the original spring. When it became clear that the pump's waters were polluted, the pipe was sealed off. There were trial borings in 1913 and 1925 to relocate the original spring, but these were unsuccessful. In 1799,
1014-415: The newe, as they nowe be'. The most substantial and best documented alteration took place in 1633–1634, when the cross was partially dismantled and repaired, with a new storey added in which four seated figures were placed. The base was four octagonal piers with cusped ogee arches. The next two tiers contained alcoves with statues of English monarchs. The top tier was a pinnacle with the actual cross as
1053-584: The official site for a medieval town or village market, granted by a charter, or it could have once represented a traditional religious marking at a crossroads. These structures range from carved stone spires , obelisks or crosses , common to small market towns such as that in Stalbridge , Dorset, to large, ornate covered structures, such as the Chichester Cross , or Malmesbury Market Cross . They can also be constructed from wood; an example
1092-407: The original was now too fragile to be moved again. In 1851 they commissioned architect John Norton to build a replica which would again stand upon College Green . Norton inspected the original closely to copy its design and then engaged John Thomas , the celebrated mason and stone carver who had recently worked upon the new Palace of Westminster , to construct the body of the cross. The funds for
1131-657: The physician Thomas Beddoes opened the Pneumatic Institution in Dowry Square. Free treatment was advertised for those suffering from consumption, asthma, dropsy, "obstinate Venereal Complaints" and scrophula. The laboratory superintendent was Humphry Davy , who investigated nitrous oxide , also known as laughing gas, using equipment designed by James Watt . Under Davy's supervision laughing gas parties were held, attended by guests such as Robert Southey , Thomas Wedgwood and Samuel Taylor Coleridge . In
1170-526: The river was widened in 1867. In the Georgian era , Hotwells was developed as a spa including the building of Dowry Square in an attempt to compete with Bath. Many visitors came, including the diarist John Evelyn and the travel writer Celia Fiennes , who hunted for Bristol Diamonds in the gorge. The Somerset historian John Collinson came to Hotwells in 1793 seeking recovery from an unspecified lingering illness and died there on 27 August 1793. During
1209-551: The rocks of the Avon Gorge underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The springs were documented in 1480 by William Worcester , the 15th century chronicler and antiquary . He described the waters as being milky and as warm as those at Bath . By c.1630 the water of Hotwells was becoming known for its medical properties, both in its original form and when used to brew beer. Thomas Fuller , who had been
Bristol High Cross - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-526: The roundabout where Jacobs Well Road meets Hotwell Road. Hotwells is split between the city wards of Clifton, and Hotwells and Harbourside . Hotwells is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Bristol city centre lying just north of the Floating Harbour and the River Avon . To the north and some 300 feet (91 m) higher is the suburb of Clifton. Much of the built up area was originally salt marsh known as Rownham Mead. Nearly half of Rownham Mead
1287-551: The same status as Bath. In the 1790s 'the celebrated hot mineral spring, denominated the Bristol Hotwell' still featured in tourist guides. However, the spa went into decline during the Napoleonic Wars and by 1816 a local physician said of Hotwells that 'It has the silence of the grave, to which it seems the inlet. Not a carriage to be seen once an hour, and scarcely more frequently does a solitary invalid approach
1326-412: The total complement of eight was then: The cross's central location made it the natural place for special events. In 1399, supporters of Richard II were beheaded there by order of Henry Bolinbroke , after a short siege of Bristol. These included Richard's Lord High Treasurer , William le Scrope , Sir John Bussy and Sir Henry Green . The following year, Thomas le Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester ,
1365-408: The water became well known as cure for diabetes. The physician Alexander Sutherland, published a summary account of the qualities of Hotwells water in 1773, typically known by that time as "Bristol Water". Sutherland says of it that "BRISTOL-WATER received in a glass, appears, to the naked eye, colourless, pellucid, and manifestly impregnated with Air, sparkling and bounding through its substance, in
1404-430: The work were exhausted after only one statue had been completed – of Edward III – and so the replica stood for many years with the other alcoves remaining empty. The remaining statues, commissioned from a prolific craftsman of the region, Harry Hems , were eventually installed in 1889, after the cross had been moved from the apex to the centre of the green to make way for the new jubilee statue of Queen Victoria . Because
1443-487: Was beheaded there for his part in the Epiphany Rising against Bolinbroke who was now King Henry IV. In 1487, it was the scene of ceremonies to greet Henry VII when he visited Bristol. In 1542, Bristol was proclaimed a bishopric at the cross. In 1554, Queen Mary and King Philip were there proclaimed joint sovereigns over England. In 1603, James I was proclaimed King of England by recorder George Snigge and
1482-655: Was driven through the Avon Gorge to provide better access from the city to Avonmouth Docks , in the process removing all signs of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier's station. Since the 1960s, the western end of Hotwells has been dominated by a flyover complex, which enables traffic from the city centre and the A4 Portway to cross the river and harbour entrance locks to access the south west of the city. Public transport links include buses serving Weston-super-Mare , Clevedon and Portishead which pass through
1521-607: Was excavated in the early 19th century to construct the Cumberland Basin , part of the entrance lock system to the city docks. The west of the area marks the beginning of the Portway road which connects Bristol to Avonmouth , passing under the Clifton Suspension Bridge which lies about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) north of Hotwells. Hotwells takes its name from the hot springs which bubble up through
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