Monday 30 April 2012

Bristol Walled Town Text

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High Cross
Mediaeval second city of England (after London)
Bristol has grown from a tightly bounded walled town and  'sacred city' centred on its High Cross to a wide ranging city of trade and commerce. A County in its own right since 1377, frequently rebellious, Bristol demolished its Castle Royal in the 17th Century. The City 'lost' its High Cross over the next hundred yeras and in 1764 it was 'sold' to a country estate in Dorset (and on 19th May 2012 there was a trip to Stourhead to see it) . The medieval walls were hidden beneath Bristols later prosperity, except for one fine gate - St. Johns.
Bristol Civic Society in 2011 published a report by Haydn Mason of on 'The Lost Walls of Bristol' (p5) 

Bristol features in Braun and Hogenberg Vol III.1 (see detail below)
and in Baedeker 1906 Gross Britannien (German) map p88/89
Further information  is included in David M. Bruce's presentation to the Bristol Civic Society.