| St Jude's | |
|---|---|
| The former St Jude's Church | |
Location within Bristol | |
| OS grid reference | ST600736 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS5 |
| Dialling code | 0117 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
St Jude's is a mixed residential, commercial, and light industrial area of central Bristol, England, which forms part of the Lawrence Hill ward. Situated immediately east of Broadmead and the city centre, parts of the area were historically known as Poyntz Pool and the Lamb Ground. It developed from a 17th-century extra-mural settlement into a densely populated Victorian district. In the 20th century, St Jude's underwent two major waves of clearance and redevelopment, resulting in the high-density social housing that is visible in the area today.
St Jude's is situated immediately to the east of Bristol city centre, between Easton, Lawrence Hill, St Philip's, Old Market, and St Paul's. The district is bounded to the west by the M32 motorway (Newfoundland Way) and the Cabot Circus shopping centre. To the north and east, the boundary is defined by the A4320 (Easton Way) and Pennywell Road. [1]
The southern boundary historically followed the line of Lawford's Gate, which served as the primary entrance to the city from London and Bath. [2] The eastern boundary terminates on Eugene Street and Trinity Road; it does not encompass the area of Easton beyond this point.[ citation needed ] The construction of Cabot Circus and its associated multi-storey car park in 2006 subsumed the westernmost area of St Jude's. [3] [4] The orientation of the Cabot Circus development, which places its primary public entrances toward the city centre, has been criticised for further isolating the neighbourhood from the city centre. [5]
The River Frome flows through the northern section of the district. In this area, the river is heavily channelised and semi-culverted; it runs along the southern edge of Riverside Park, which separates the residential streets and the motorway before disappearing underground beneath the Cabot Circus car park. This also serves as the start of the Frome Valley Walkway. [1] [6] [7]
In the medieval period, the land was open pasture situated outside the city walls. By the late 17th century, the area was referred to as Great Wells or the Lamb Ground, an estate of approximately 16 acres named after the Lamb Inn. [8] The Lamb Inn, a triple-gabled timber-framed structure established c. 1651, fronted West Street and remained a local landmark until its demolition for road widening in 1906. [9] It is known as the site where James Nayler stayed before the events of the Nayler case. [10]
Systematic development of the area as part of eastward expansion of Bristol's urban core began under Nathaniel Wade, town clerk of Bristol. Around 1707, Wade began laying out a street grid on the land used as pasture, establishing Wade Street, Great George Street (named for Prince George of Denmark), and Great Ann Street (named for Queen Anne). The development was initially intended for artisans, with early residents including feltmakers, carpenters, and pipe makers. An excavation, of a proposed residential development on a site of 1,260 m² at the corner and on the north-west side of Little Anne Street and Wade Street, uncovered 18th century artisan's houses. Census records and other primary sources suggest that a property within the bounds of the study site, 26 Wade Street, served as a pipe factory, while several pipemaking families and individuals resided within the area. [8] [11] Archaeological finds of pipe-making waste at Monk Street (since razed for Riverside Park) have been linked to the St Jude's industry, with local production being historically centred on New Street and Wade Street. John Wilkey, a local pipemaker, managed the Phoenix Pottery at Baptist Mills for the White family before opening his own factory on Wade Street in 1862 on property owned by the same family. [12]
Situated at the eastern boundary of the area was Lawford's Gate Prison, constructed in 1791. Designed by George Onesiphorus Paul as a House of Correction for Gloucestershire, the facility was intended to enforce modern ideas of prison reform, including controlled diets and labour. The prison was severely damaged during the 1831 Bristol riots, where the treadmill and gallows were destroyed and prisoners released. While the ruins remained for nearly a century, the structure was finally demolished in 1926 to make way for municipal housing. [2] [13]
By the 19th century, the open ground near the Lamb Inn had become known as Poyntz Pool. The etymology is uncertain, though it was rendered as Pints Pool on John Rocque's 1742 map. [9] The area gained notoriety for lawlessness and "unhallowed revelry"; it was historically a site for bull-baiting, leading to the local thoroughfare of Lawford Street being colloquially known as Bull Paunch Lane. [14] [15] This lane connected to Butchers' Row, an area housing four slaughterhouses in the mid-19th century. [16]
As Bristol urbanised, the area became a dense slum, described in 1854 as one of the Bristol's rookeries. [17] Contemporary reports detailed severe overcrowding, with families living in single rooms without water or sanitation. Specific locations such as Whippington Court and the "Dark Entry" were highlighted during an 1864 fever epidemic for their filth and lack of ventilation. [18] The area moreover had a reputation for violence, with reports of "ruffians" from Poyntz Pool being hired to fight during elections. [15] By the 1880s, the density of the district had increased significantly with the construction of narrow alleyways of housing tucked behind the main streets, such as Pratten's Court and Swan Court. [8] In 1884, the Bristol Mercury published a comprehensive investigation entitled The Homes of the Bristol Poor, which documented the social conditions around impoverished areas of the city. The report described the district as a network of rookeries, blind alleys, and dark entries, particularly noting the poor conditions present in Great Ann Street, Wade Street, and New Street. It documented the prevalence of tenements where individual rooms were rented to entire families; in one instance, a single house was found to be occupied by 23 people, while in another, a family of eight shared a single bed. [19] [20]
To address the area's social and spiritual needs, the ecclesiastical district of St Jude's was created. The foundation stone for the church, designed by Samuel Burleigh Gabriel in the 14th-century style, was laid in 1848 on the former waste ground of Poyntz Pool. [14] [21] It was consecrated in 1849, with the Bishop of Gloucester hoping it would bring order to a "den of thieves". [22] [15] In 1848, a plot of land described opposite Lawford's Gate Prison was purchased for the construction of St Nicholas of Tolentino Church. Designed by Charles Hansom, the church was established to serve the large influx of Irish refugees fleeing the Great Famine who had settled in the low-cost housing of the area. [23] John Cozens, a local missionary at the Bristol City Mission on Great Ann Street, also served the area from 1889 to 1900. [24]
Before the large-scale clearances of the 1930s, St Jude's was the site of one of Bristol's earliest experiments in municipal housing. In 1901, the Bristol Corporation constructed a block of dwellings on Bragg's Lane, one of only four such sites developed in the city at the turn of the century to replace slum housing. [25]
In 1923, the Corporation initiated the Eugene Street Improvement Scheme to address unsanitary housing conditions in the district. The clearance was politically contentious, resulting in local property owners forming defence associations to resist compulsory purchase orders, arguing that the compensation offered, often a nominal £1 based on site value alone, was unjust for many of the homes within the clearance zones. [26] [27] To rehouse the displaced residents, the council constructed the Lawford's Gate Flats on the site of the demolished prison. Completed in early 1925, these three-storey blocks—named Wessex, Somerset, and Gloucester Houses—provided accommodation for 44 families and included amenities considered advanced for the time, such as a central playground and sheds for prams. [28] [29]
Further clearance took place in the 1930s under the Great Ann Street scheme, displacing approximately 1,400 residents. [30] In 1938, the Bristol Corporation opened St Matthias House, a block of municipal flats named after the nearby church which was then facing closure and possible demolition. [31] Following World War II, more of the area was redeveloped with high-density housing. In 1959, tenants moved into the new multi-storey blocks of the St Jude's Estate (Haviland, Charleton, and John Cozens Houses). [32] The construction of the estate was executed in two primary phases, commencing in 1957 under the supervision of the city architects J. Nelson Meredith. Constructed by the firm Stone, the estate comprises four inter-connected residential blocks: Charleton House and Langton House (stage 1), followed by Haviland House and John Cozens House (stage 2). [33] While Langton House was built using in situ reinforced concrete to house single-storey flats, the other three blocks utilised a precast concrete cross-wall construction method to create two-storey maisonettes. [34] [35] A dedicated nursery was also built for the estate. [32] Following its completion, the St Jude's Estate was described by architectural critics as among the most successful post-war projects in Bristol. [36]
However, the safety of these dwellings was called into question following the Ronan Point disaster in London. In 1968 the Bristol Housing Committee removed gas supplies from 258 tenants in seven of the blocks in St Jude's and switching the estate to an electric supply to mitigate the risk of progressive collapse. [37] This would not be enough, as in November 1969, Bristol Corporation ordered the immediate evacuation of 135 families from the St Jude's blocks due to concerns that the pre-cast concrete joints could fail during high winds or a gas explosion. [38] Tenants were moved to temporary accommodation while structural strengthening was undertaken and electric cooking was installed. [39]
Commercial redevelopment also occurred during this period, with the erection of Tollgate House, a 19-storey Y-shaped office block later occupied by the Department of the Environment. It was completed in 1974 on the site of a former vinegar works at a cost of £3.5 million and originally intended to house the corporate operations of Beaverbrook Newspapers. [40] [41]
In conjunction with the development of Cabot Circus from 2005 to 2008, some parts of St Jude's also saw redevelopment. The area to the south of the Cabot Circus car park at Wellington Road and River Street was redeveloped into a new public space known as Champion Square by landscape architects New Leaf Studio, forming a pedestrian area that joins St Matthias Park. [42] It was named for the Champions, a prominent Quaker family in the local area during the 18th century. [43]
In the 2020s, St Jude's became the focus of the Frome Gateway Regeneration Framework, a long-term plan to transform the area's light industrial zones into a mixed-use neighbourhood providing approximately 1,000 new homes. [44] The framework proposes the demolition of existing industrial units to create a mixed-use neighbourhood. Specific developments approved in 2025 include the transformation of the former Alide plant hire site and the Crown Sawmills (since Scaddings Timber Importers) into student accommodation and rental apartments. The regeneration plan also outlines the naturalisation of the River Frome within Riverside Park to improve flood resilience and public visibility. [45] [7]
By the 2023, the condition of the housing stock in the St Jude's Estate had deteriorated, with residents reporting damp, mould, and leaks. Following a campaign by ACORN, which included a march on the City Hall in September 2023, the council committed to an £18 million refurbishment programme. [46] [47] However, following the emergency evacuation of the similarly constructed Barton House in 2023, extensive structural surveys were commissioned for the St Jude's Estate, which again suggested the buildings were insufficiently constructed. By 2024, structural surveys by engineering firm Ridge identified that John Cozens, Haviland, and Charleton Houses lacked sufficient horizontal and vertical ties, making them vulnerable to collapse in the event of an internal explosion. [48] As of 2025, there were 539 registered residents living in 135 homes within these blocks. To mitigate risks, the council implemented a waking watch fire safety patrol in September 2024. [48] [49] The council subsequently cancelled an £18 million refurbishment scheme to prioritise essential fire safety upgrades and investigate potential options for the site. [50] Consequently, in May 2025, the council cancelled the full refurbishment programme to prioritise essential fire safety upgrades and prohibited the storage of gas canisters and high-capacity batteries within the blocks. [51] [52]
St Jude's has historically served as a gateway for diverse immigrant communities. In the 1960s, the Rosemary Nursery School in Haviland House catered to Greek-Cypriot, Italian, German, and Jamaican families. [53] While drawing from the wider city, only a small portion of residents within the flats initially utilised the nursery. [54] By the early 21st century, a significant Somali community settled in the area, largely served by the Albaseera Mosque. [5] The church of St Nicholas of Tolentino reported in 2008 that its congregation represented over 50 different nationalities. [55] The district remains a transient residential area, with many families living in high-density, social-rented tenements. [56]
The built environment of St Jude's is characterised by a mixture of inter- and post-war social housing, remnant industrial architecture, and a number of religious institutions serving a diverse range or religions and denominations.
Several buildings from the area's industrial heyday have survived clearances and are recognised on the Bristol Local List:
Some historic public houses remain in the area, including the Crown Tavern on Lawford's Gate, which underwent refurbishment in 2024 and is noted for serving Bass ale from the barrel; [63] and the Swan with Two Necks on Little Ann Street, which is locally listed along with its outbuildings. [59] There are also two pubs that are Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England : The Phoenix on Champion Square (formerly Wellington Road) [64] [65] and The Volunteer Tavern on New Street. [66] [67] 17 Wade Street, occupied by a butcher shop named J. D. Brittan, was locally listed but eventually demolished for redevelopment. [59] [68]
St Jude's contains a number of active and former religious buildings representing various religions and denominations.
Some extant religious buildings have been repurposed for secular use:
Modern St Jude's is frequently described as being isolated from the city's more affluent areas, despite its proximity to the city centre, which was intensified by the development of Cabot Circus. [5] Issues of overcrowding and a lack of green play space have also been noted as challenges for families living in the high-rise blocks. [74] [3]
The Frome Gateway Regeneration Framework has faced criticism from some locals who fear it will lead to the dispersal of existing communities and the loss of essential services such as the Salvation Army's Logos House. [3]
St Jude's has a long-standing reputation for high crime rates, with postcodes on Wade Street identified in 2024 as being in the top 1% of the most dangerous in the country. [75] [76] In October 1995, the Avon and Somerset Police conducted dawn raids on 21 homes across the city, including flats in Ropewalk House, targeting suspected crack cocaine dealers. [77] Residents of Ropewalk House subsequently petitioned the council for electronic entry systems to prevent intruders and drug users from accessing the building's communal stairwells. [78]
In the 2020s, residents reported that the area's nightlife and music venues have exacerbated antisocial behaviour, with patrons urinating outside residential windows and consuming drugs in communal areas. [79] Crime data from 2017 showed that Wade Street was a major hotspot for antisocial behaviour and violent offences within the Trinity area. [80]
Stapleton Road is the principal thoroughfare through St Jude's. The area is served by a number of bus services operated by First West of England, linking it to the city centre and the wider Bristol area. [81] Rail access is provided by a number of nearby railway stations, as the area is only 1.35 kilometres (0.84 mi) north of Bristol Temple Meads station with an additional two local railway stations near to the area: Lawrence Hill station and Stapleton Road station.
St Jude's is located next to the M32 motorway, linking it to the M4 and M5 motorways. It is also bordered by the A4320 linking it to Bath. [7]