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BRISTOL ENGLAND
On Monday, September 16, my birthday, Steve and I flew to Bristol England.   This was a business trip for Steve for Monday through Friday.  He put in long days and didn't get to see much as usual for his trips.  I was able to go along for fun.  I was happy to be there and be with Steve for the evening dinners and at night.   I looked for free things to do see in that city, which there is plenty.  I did buy a 24 hour bus ticket and that helped a lot, but I walked a lot of miles.  It rained and was windy each day except for Wednesday so I decided not to rent a bike, plus riding in that city would be scary for me with the direction of the traffic and very few bike paths and not knowing where I was going.  If we go back there, I would like to rent a bike and ride to Bath and in the wild parks.  Bristol is a mixture of old and new buildings, a busy and sprawling city located along the River Avon close to the south west coast.  the river has tides from the ocean so twice a day the river almost goes all the way empty.  Locks where put in the river to keep the water from escaping and leaving the boats high and dry.  A man made new River Avon was cut along side the river so the water coming in from the tides would have someplace to go.  I have heard it said that Bristol is the only town that has a train station that looks like a Cathedral and a Cathedral that looks like a train station.

Monday was just travel mainly so no photos.  We tried to get to the SS Britain, the largest sailing ship, but didn't get there in time to see it before it closed for the day.

Tuesday was rainy and windy so I walked around.
Of course every city in England has cathedrals and churches to see.  I saw a few of them.  They are all grand and amazing to visit.  This first one is  St. Mary's Redcliffe.  I walked by it every day and sometime the bells in the tower where ringing, that is a special sound and I loved to hear them.   In 1574, Queen Elizabeth I called this "the fairest, goodliest, and most famous parish church in England"

some of the inside

I found that many of the churches have science exhibit or art exhibits in them.  This is one of the interesting science projects, the Chaotic Pendulum.  Water is recycled through the center post into a precision tube and flows out the on of the two ends.  With all the science in the world, no one can predict exactly which end the water will be exiting the tube.   Scientists call it chaos.  People look to science for certainties on which to base their lives.  Sometimes we realize our knowledge can never provide certainty.  The world is a surprising place.

The Chaotic Pendulum

Always spend time looking at the ceilings!

The next church I went to was the Bristol Cathedral.  Much of this is also a school.  There has been a church on this site for over a thousand years.

Looking down on the cathedral from a park I hiked up to.

Approaching the entrance, it is raining.

This church had a lot of intricate wood carvings on the furniture.

close up of the wood carving on the side of the seat

the organ

There was a grand piano in the center of the cathedral that anyone was welcome to come play.  These two sisters took turns playing really wonderful classical music that filled the hall with really wonderful music so I stayed for a while just to listen to them play.

Wednesday was nice, no rain and only a little wind so I tried to get to all the outside things I wanted to see.   I took the bus towards the west edge of town to see the famous Cliffton Suspension Bridge.  From there I walked back into town seeing sights along the way.  The bridge is over the river Avon that is subject to the ocean tides so it goes almost empty twice a day.  The bridge design and engineering was by Isambard Kingdon Brunel, who also deisgned the train station, and a lot of other things in EnglThe bridge was started in 1831 but due to financial problems was not completed until 1859, after the designer passed away.

This picture shows the water almost gone.

In 1885 following an argument with a boyfriend Sarah Ann Henley from Bristol threw herself from the Bridge. Beneath her billowing dress she was wearing crinoline petticoats, the fashion of the day. Contrary to local folklore she did not 'float' down, but the underwear did slow and cushion her fall - and she had a huge helping of good fortune! Sarah was injured but was pulled from the mud, eventually recovered, and died in 1948 at the age of 84 yrs.

A class of kids where at the bridge this day drawing pictures of it and learning about its history.

A view of the bridge from the Cabot Tower.

Cabot Tower and Brandon Hill Nature Park

I walked from the Cliffton Bridge to the town to Cabot Tower and climbed the 100 and some steps for a few good views of Bristol shown below.

looking straight down from the top of the tower, you can see a couple of people on the bench below.

the steps up where very narrow and steep, about 14 inches wide, barely wide enough for my foot.

nice reflection, mallard, Koi and leaves on pond

view from the park bench over the city

I then found a 18th century Georgian Home Museum. This doesn't look like much on the outside but it was nice on the inside and it is a 6 story home because it is on a steep hill so you can't see the other stories behind this.  The house was built in 1790 for John Pinney, slave plantation owner and sugar merchant, it was also where the enslaved African, Pero lived.

I liked the chandeliers in the rooms and these unusual domed mirrors that reflected the rooms like a fish eye lens.

I really enjoyed seeing the kitchens in many of the old buildings I visited.  

The white cone in the center of this pantry is how they used to get their sugar delivered.
They would slice off some for each day and crumble it up for usage.

great cooking area, must have been really hot at times with the fireplace going all the time.

I had never seen one of these "clothing manglers".  Rocks are in the top part for weight and sheets and towels where wrapped around the wooden rolls and then the weighted table would be rolled over the garments to press them.

A rocker washing machine.  Fill with water and clothes and rock by pulling and pushing on the hand rails.

An unusual indoor COLD water walk in tub large enough to stand up in.
Why would anyone want a cold bath in England when it is cold and rainy out? 

I like the reflections from the chandelier.

Nice baby cradle.

Next I walked through the area of town that artists have been commissioned to do art on the buildings.  I suppose this may be an attempt to make the tagging and graffiti nuts to take notice.   I didn't see as much graffiti in Bristol as I see in Germany.  Some of this art started many years ago in 1980 by the artist Bansky, and was very well done but taggers have ruined it so I didn't take photos of the ones that had been ruined.

This was on the side of the health sex clinic but I took the photo from the internet because taggers ruined it.  The husband is looking for the guy who was with his wife.

These are just random things from around town on Wednesday.

I saw this in several places in town.  I thought it was a strange sign because I didn't see anything except pavement everywhere.  So I assume it means that they are not to ride on the sidewalks.  There wasn't bike lanes in very many places in the city.

Looking down towards town from the Cliffton Bridge.

Looking down towards town from the Cliffton Bridge.

A house on the west side of town overlooking the river.  Owned by a wine maker who could look for his boats coming down the river.

The train station, looks like a Cathedral.

A peaceful view of a sculler on the river.  I'm thinking of John.

Our walk back to the hotel after dinner.

 On Thursday it rained for a good part of the day so I looked for things to do inside.  I walked the entire day and I'm sure put in some miles.  The first place I wanted to see was the oldest Methodist church in the world.  It was one of my favorite places of all the things that I saw.  On the way I went through Castle Park which does not have a castle.  Someone tore it down in one of the wars, can't remember who tore it down, but the park is very nice.  Also on the park grounds is the shell of St. Peters Church, Bristol's first church, which got bombed in 1940 and is now a memorial to civilians killed in the war.

St. Peters Church

Castle Park

John Wesley's Chapel aka "The New Room".  This was his headquarters when he began to travel the country "preaching the glad tidings of salvation" and "endeavoring to do good".  He wanted to advance the kingdom of Christ upon earth and make life better for all.   The building was built in 1739 as a meeting place.  He preached, gave lessons in the faith, provided education for the poor, gave help and comfort to those in need, and gave medical help and medicines to those who could not afford to go see a Doctor.

The pews where not there when John Wesley was there.  People would stand or old people would sit on benches against the walls.

The octagon window area in the center was to let natural light in and to reduce the number of windows on the exterior. They where trying to prevent attacks from people who didn't like the new preaching.   Also, the more windows on the outside of the building the higher the property tax. 

John and Charles Wesley.

Upstairs above the chapel is the meeting rooms and library for preachers and guests.

John Wesley's bedroom and his robe that he graduated from college with and also used from then on to wear when he preached.

A lot of what John Wesley taught is like what I am being taught in the LDS lessons now.  They are very similar in ideas and beliefs.  Although I am glad our services do not start at 5am in the morning like his did.  He liked to start the day with early services so working people could attend. Some of the songs that John's brother, Charles wrote are used today in our church.  Charles wrote about 7,000 songs.  Back then the Methodist celebrated the sacrament, Lord's supper every week.  John thought it was not wise to sit too much so he would stand while he wrote on a desk in his room created for standing.  John Wesley died in 1791.

John Wesley is known for many quotes.  Here are a few of his shorter quotes that I especially like:

“Vice does not lose its character by becoming fashionable.” 

“Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge.” 

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” 

“You have one business on earth – to save souls.”

"I  look upon the world as my Parish."

After John Wesley's Chapel I walked to The Red Lodge Museum.  It was small but nice and it was also free.

The most impressive room in the house was the oak room.  Intricately carved.  I have a hard time imagining how long it must have taken someone to carve all this oak!

The fireplace is carved stone.

Details

This went all the way around the room.

Queen Elizabeth I 

The door into the room 

The doorway to the dressing room 

The bedroom

I saw this nice example of the brick buildings in this town made with many colors of bricks. This is just offices and flats.

Then getting close to the hotel at the end of the day I visited Temple Church.  As the tower was being built it began to tilt so they compensated for it and started adding angle.  It is about 5 ft off center.  Later the city was going to take it down because they thought it had just started to lean until an OLD guy said not to because it had been leaning like that for 600 years and it hadn't fallen down yet, so thus it is still there.  The church was destroyed in 1942 with bombs.

It has a nice park next to it with nice trees and flowers.

THE END