Stop 17 - Victoria Street
Stop 17: Victoria Street. The Victorian warehouse spine running from Bristol Bridge to Temple Meads, past the leaning Temple Church ruin on the south side.
Victoria Street runs from Bristol Bridge east to Temple Meads station. It is a broad, mostly-commercial street that replaced a warren of medieval lanes when the railway came in the 1840s. Today it is a mix of fine Victorian warehouses, more recent glass office blocks, and a surprising amount of evening traffic.
What to see
About halfway down Victoria Street, on the south side, you will pass the Temple Church ruin - the roofless shell of a fourteenth-century church whose tower famously leans 1.6 metres out of true (the foundations moved as the church was being built in 1390). The body of the church was gutted by German bombs in 1940 and left as a consolidated ruin.
Further along, the building housing Temple Quay House - the large modern office complex on your left approaching the river - occupies the site of the old tobacco bonds. If you have ten minutes, cut down onto Temple Quay itself for a short quiet harbourside walk.
How long to stay
Twenty minutes for a walk-through; allow more if you stop at the Temple Church ruin.
Nearby stops
- Stop 16 - Bristol Bridge is two minutes west.
- Stop 18 - Temple Meads is five minutes east.
- Stop 19 - St Mary Redcliffe is four minutes south.
Practical info
Step-free pavements on both sides; crossing the street near Temple Gate can be slow due to heavy traffic. Nearest public toilets at Temple Meads station. A handful of decent lunch spots on the north side near the bridge.
