College Green
Distance: 2.4 km.
College Green, the site of the crescent-shaped City Hall (formerly the Council House) built-in 1956, is approximately 3 acres and a popular local spot. The large hotel, built-in 1868, incorporates two 18th-century houses in its design. In front, there is a statue of Queen Victoria, which was erected in 1887 to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.
Overlooking College Green is Bristol Cathedral, founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine’s Abbey but after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it became, in 1542, the seat of the newly created Bishop of Bristol and the cathedral of the new Diocese of Bristol. It is a Grade I listed building. Legend has it that St. Augustine preached here in the late 6th century. A more recent preacher, Greta Thunberg, visit Bristol in the Spring of 2020. Thousands of people attended the event which started on College Green with an address from Miss Thunberg and was followed by a march through the city centre.
Behind the Cathedral and through the Abbey Gateway is the Cathedral School, found in 1140, and refounded by Henry VIII in 1542 after he had dissolved the monastery.
