Trail of Remembrance

2. St. Mary Redcliffe 

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Saint Mary Redcliffe, a stunning example of Gothic architecture, has stood as a place of worship for over 800 years. Described as being Bristol’s “fairest, goodliest, and most famous parish church” by Queen Elizabeth I, it has long been a central landmark in the city. However, like many historic sites in Bristol, St Mary Redcliffe has a complex and often troubling connection to Transatlantic Chattel Slavery.

Among its memorials, you’ll find names like William Challoner, who participated in 13 slaving voyages, Robert Yeamans, a prominent merchant who owned enslaved people and land in Barbados, and Philip John Miles, a landowner, banker, Tory MP and slave owner, who was also Bristol’s first millionaire. Admiral William Penn, who is buried and commemorated in the church, is known to have been involved in one of the earliest recorded instances of an enslaved person being exchanged between Englishmen. Even his son William Penn - who founded Pennsylvania in his father’s name and was a practising Quaker - engaged in the enslavement of others, despite his faith’s teachings on equality. 

In recent years, St Mary Redcliffe has taken steps to confront this uncomfortable legacy. One of the most profound ways is through the installation of their new stained-glass windows, "Who is My Neighbour?" This artwork serves as a reflection on the past while encouraging a vision of a more inclusive and just future. It invites visitors to consider questions of love, justice, and what it truly means to be a neighbour, echoing the biblical call to love others as oneself. By recognising and engaging with its history, St Mary Redcliffe offers a space for reflection, learning, and a renewed commitment to equality and justice. 

3. The Hole in the Wall Pub, Queen Square 

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Bristol’s significance as a port dates back to the 13th century, growing immensely by the 17th and 18th centuries. The city played a central role in the triangular trade, which involved shipping enslaved people from Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean. These individuals faced horrific conditions, with many dying on the journey.

The Hole in the Wall Pub’s spy house highlights how local press gangs helped fill crews for these ships. Queen Square reveals the wealth accumulated through this trade, with buildings like Number 29, once owned by Nathaniel Day, who petitioned against a proposed tax on enslaved people and became Bristol’s mayor in 1737.  

4. Pero’s Bridge 

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Pero’s Bridge, named after Pero Jones, a man enslaved in Bristol in the late 18th century, serves as a modern tribute to the city's painful history. Relatively few enslaved people arrived in Britain, so Pero would have been visible in the city.

His presence here is a stark reminder of the city's involvement in the slave trade – there is no evidence that he was ever freed, and is assumed he remained enslaved in Bristol until the day he died in 1798. The bridge, dedicated in 1998, symbolises our acknowledgment of this history and honours those affected by the trade, with Pero becoming a symbol of Bristol’s hidden past. 

5. Bristol Cathedral 

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Bristol Cathedral stands as one of the city's most historic places of worship, tracing its origins back over 900 years. Its grand architecture and rich history tell many stories, yet some of these are tied to the darker chapters of the past, particularly transatlantic chattel slavery that contributed to the wealth and development of the cathedral itself. In recent years, Bristol Cathedral has taken significant steps to confront this legacy, especially in the wake of events such as the death of George Floyd and the toppling of the Colston statue in Bristol. 

Research conducted by the cathedral uncovered that between 1670 and 1900, roughly 1,000 individuals were buried or memorialised within its grounds, with around 200 of them having direct connections to the transatlantic chattel slavery. These connections ranged from building, owning, or working in the trade to living off the proceeds or receiving compensation for emancipated enslaved people. This reality has prompted the cathedral to launch the "All God’s Children" exhibition, an effort to share the stories of those memorialised within its walls and their ties to this history. 

Bristol Cathedral recognises the need to repent for the way the contributions of people of African and African Caribbean heritage have been erased from its story. The images of a Europeanised Holy Family and the many memorials celebrating individuals who gained their wealth from slavery serve as reminders of this exclusion. In acknowledgment of this history, the cathedral embraces a threefold approach: to tell the truth, lament the sin and suffering, and seek reconciliation and repair. Visitors are invited to reflect on these themes and engage with the cathedral's journey toward becoming a place of genuine welcome and inclusion for all of God’s children. 

6. Old Bank, Corn Street 

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The Old Bank was the first bank established in the city of Bristol in 1750. The bank’s origins trace back to the 18th century when it was founded by wealthy tradesmen, many of whom were involved in Transatlantic chattel slavery.

Bristol's prosperity was deeply tied to industries like glassmaking and sugar refining, which were fuelled by enslaved labour. The bank played a crucial role in managing and profiting from this trade, contributing to Bristol’s economy.  

7. St Stephen’s Church

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St Stephen’s Church stood right by the waters of Bristol harbour for centuries up until the river Frome was covered over in the 1890s. The church tower was often the first glimpse of Bristol for sailors arriving in the city. It is said that the west doors of the church were opened to bless ships moored outside before they departed on their journeys. As the harbour church, St Stephen’s has been closely connected with Bristol’s seafaring and merchant communities throughout its history. Transatlantic Chattel Slavery is an intrinsic part of the seafaring history of Bristol and therefore of St Stephen’s.  

Within the church are several memorials to people directly connected with Transatlantic chattel slavery, including an agent of 14 slaving voyages, slave ship owners, and the wife of a slave ship captain. St Stephen’s also has connections with the abolitionist movement, through 18th century Rector Revd Josiah Tucker. In 2011 an artwork was installed in St Stephen’s to speak into these elements of the church’s history. The Bristol Reconciliation Reredos comprises four boldly-coloured relief panels by Graeme Mortimer Evelyn, set behind the altar, which explore themes of
hope and healing. 

8. By the Plinth of the Former Edward Colston Statue 

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The plinth of the former Edward Colston statue is a site of immense historical and socio-political significance. It once held the statue of Edward Colston, a British merchant and deputy governor of the Royal African Company, a key player in the Transatlantic Chattel Slavery. While Colston’s philanthropy contributed to Bristol’s development, his wealth was built on human suffering. As part of the Royal African Company, he played a central role in the brutal enslavement and transportation of approximately 84,000 Africans, more than any other organisation involved in the Atlantic slave trade.

For 125 years, Bristol honoured Colston with a statue on this plinth in the heart of the city. Efforts to remove the statue or even attach a plaque acknowledging this dark history were unsuccessful. However, on June 7, 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protesters toppled the statue and threw it into Bristol Harbour in a powerful act of resistance.

Today, the statue has been recovered and is part of an exhibit in the M-Shed museum. The display provides context for the protest, featuring first-hand accounts from those involved, and places Colston’s statue within the larger narrative of the fight against racial injustice over the last 400 years, both in Bristol and around the world.