St Werburgh’s Church; The Climbing Academy

The Climbing Academy "The Church", St Werburgh's Church, Mina Road, Bristol, Bristol, BS2 9YT

St Werburgh's Tower and Church has a remarkable history. Its foundation date back many centuries, with St Werburgh being a Saxon Saint. The church was situated in Corn Street in the centre of Bristol until 1879 when the tower and parts of the church were taken down, stone by stone, and rebuilt in the rapidly expanding neighbourhood of East Bristol - which became known by the name of the church.

It was the subject of one of the first conservation campaigns, which petitioned the council against the demolition - one of the protesting committee members was Hardwyke Rawnsley, curate of St Philip's, prolific writer on conservation issues and later co-founder of the National Trust in 1895.

St Werburgh's became the parish church for the area for 100 years before closing in 1988, when it became the first climbing church of its type in 1991, making it a much-loved and respected site in the climbing community.

Visitors in small groups can inspect the tower and the body of the church from a viewing gallery, view a display and take refreshments.
It is interesting to note that this 19th-century building relocation was part of a movement to conserve ancient buildings.

The Society for the Prevention of Ancient Buildings began in 1877 and has led to the British listing protests, with St Werburgh's holding a grade II listing.

This event took place in September 2023 and the entry is now archived.

Organised by

By the kindness of The Climbing Academy Group

Date last modified: 29th June 2023 at 12:53