St Mary Redcliffe Church is the third tallest parish church in the UK and one of the largest too with proportions more befitting a cathedral. It is approximately 76 metres long with the trancepts stretching to 37 metres from end to end.
Through the church is some of the best examples of 14th century Gothic architecture in the United Kingdom. The strong upward lines of the nave curve into a gilt edged vaulted ceiling with a complex pattern of over a thousand ceiling bosses.
Following the Gothic tradition, the walls of the building have as little stone as possible with the vast majority of them being stained glass so the nave has to rely on flying pier buttresses to avoid collapsing into the church.
On the transepts the walls have such a high glass to stone ratio they also require flying buttresses for structural support despite their modest height. Unfortunately little of the original stained glass remains, it was destroyed largely during the English Civil War.
The church was restored with the spire rebuilt to its present height in 1872 having lacked the pinnacle of it since a lightning strike in 1446.
Remains of the Bristol Blitz are still visible around the church with a huge metal piece of railway embedded in the church grounds.
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