Saturday 11 September

Thomas Chatterton and St Mary Redcliffe

St Mary Redcliffe Church provided the primary inspiration for Bristol's 'boy poet', Thomas Chatterton, from its magnificent Gothic architecture to its memorials to Bristol’s dignitaries. Chatterton wrote about the church in his quasi-medieval poems and prose, and he also composed modern poems, satires and social sketches.

The Chatterton Room, located above the main entrance to the church, was home to the medieval church records that influenced Chatterton, inspiring his invention of the medieval monk Thomas Rowley and the writing of mock medieval verse in his name. Some of the wooden trunks that contained the ancient parchments are still here.

Ordinarily, the room is closed to visitors. However, this weekend you can gain access to this evocative and unusual space and enjoy an exhibition about Chatterton, his work and his legacy.

Ticket information

Free tickets are available for six 30 minute time slots through the course of the day. As we are restricted in terms of how many people are allowed in the Chatterton Room at one time, there are limited tickets (six) available for each 30 minute time slot. You can book tickets at the bottom of this page or directly on Eventbrite by clicking here.

Face masks

To ensure the safety of visitors, staff and volunteers, the church is asking visitors to wear a face mask while inside the church building.

Location

The entrance to the Chatterton Room is located in the north porch, which is the main entrance to the church. Please arrive five minutes prior to you time slot to facilitate the check-in process.

Accessibility

Unfortunately, because the Chatterton Room is located at the top of a spiral staircase, the tour is not accessible to all. There are around 70 steps to climb so please consider whether the climb will be possible for you before booking. The exhibition panels that will be shown in the Chatterton Room will also be on display in St John's Chapel. The nearest accessible entrance to St John's Chapel is the south porch of the church, which can be accessed via the south churchyard.

Visiting hours

Friendly note: Please be aware that the church is currently operating limited hours and will close to visitors at 3pm. If you book tickets for one of the later afternoon slots and would also like to look around the church building, you might want to look around first before you arrive for your visit to the Chatterton Room.