Our Story

Although no documentary evidence of the foundation of the church appears to be in existence, there is some evidence that there could well have been a place of Christian worship at Horfield from a very early date.  Until the building of the school in 1838 (for which authority to enclose part of the common was granted) the churchyard was completely circular in form.  This, together with the many springs still in evidence, suggests that the site was originally a pre-Christian place of worship.  Moreover it is adjacent to an exceedingly ancient track-way leading from Bristol towards the crossing of the Severn at Aust, part of which is currently in use as a short cut between Wellington Hill and Kellaway avenue past the east end of the church.  This track can be followed on foot back to Zetland Road and from there over Kingsdown to the old city.  It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that this track was the route followed by St. Augustine to the conference with the Celtic bishops at Aust in 603 AD.  As Augustine was ordered by Pope Gregory to re-dedicate existing places of worship to Christian use so that converts could continue to worship at a place to which they were accustomed, it is possible that the foundation of the church in Horfield dates from this time.

Horfield appears in the Domesday Book as 'Horfelle in Langlei Hundred, the property of the King in Horfelle VII hides'.  The book was compiled principally to record the extent, value and ownership of the lands, therefore the omission of a direct reference to an actual church building by no means precludes its existence.  In any case it would probably have been quite small and built of wood or wattle.