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Bristol's Leaning Tower of Temple

Temple Church 1887
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Pisa has its famous leaning tower - and so does Bristol, with its drunkenly off-vertical tower of Temple Church in Temple Street. The tower isn't on the stupendous scale of its Italian counterpart, it's true. But its prominent position by busy Victoria Street and its proximity to Temple Meads station make it one of the most startling sights to be seen by newly-arrived visitors to Bristol. Poor old Temple Church was badly blitzed during the air raids of the Second World War and the building remains a gutted ruin half a century later. But it wasn't enemy bombs which caused the tower to reel over five foot out of true. That happened after it was rebuilt in 1460. The foundations caused problems which couldn't be solved, the tower began to move but, at last, it settled at today's offbeat angle. There has been a church on this site since 1145 when the mysterious order of Knights Templar erected their chapel here - nearby Temple Meads takes its name from the order.

Written by Paul Townsend. To send Paul Townsend a private message, click here.

A memory of Bristol in Avon shared on Saturday, 5th December 2009.

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RE: RE: Bristol's Leaning Tower of Temple

How many architectural buildings are leaning in the world, can you give me a idea about it?

Comment from Jehnavi Pat on Tuesday, 8th February 2011.

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