On Sat, 22 Sep 2012 19:39:09 +0100, Jean WOOD <[email protected]> wrote: > I meant to say, St Michael's looks very rural at that time. > I presume it was just at the beginning of the great expansion of towns > and cities. Are the current buildings in that area predominantly 18th & > 19th century? And did many get destroyed in WW 2? Hi Jean, Here's a first-hand account of the night of the first Bristol Blitz of 24th. November 1940, from someone who was a boy singing in the choir of St. Michael's at Evensong as the bombs began to drop. The service was abandoned and the congregation went down to the crypt. A scene of devastation was to greet the parishioners the next day. Bristol Blitz in 1940 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/37/a2636237.shtml Josephine

What a devastating time, and so sad to hear what has happened since Do ANY of the old buildings exist there and has anyone done anything about the church in the last 8 years when the choirboy submiited his memories? Jean Wood > Message du 24/09/12 09:47 > De : "Josephine Jeremiah" > A : [email protected] > Copie à : > Objet : [B&S] St Michael's, Bristol Blitz ( was Thomas French of Bristol) > > On Sat, 22 Sep 2012 19:39:09 +0100, Jean WOOD > wrote: > > > I meant to say, St Michael's looks very rural at that time. > > > I presume it was just at the beginning of the great expansion of towns > > and cities. Are the current buildings in that area predominantly 18th & > > 19th century? And did many get destroyed in WW 2? > > Hi Jean, > > Here's a first-hand account of the night of the first Bristol Blitz of > 24th. November 1940, from someone who was a boy singing in the choir of > St. Michael's at Evensong as the bombs began to drop. The service was > abandoned and the congregation went down to the crypt. A scene of > devastation was to greet the parishioners the next day. > > Bristol Blitz in 1940 > > http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/37/a2636237.shtml > > Josephine > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

On Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:56:07 +0100, Jean WOOD <[email protected]> wrote: > What a devastating time, and so sad to hear what has happened since > Do ANY of the old buildings exist there and has anyone done anything > about the church in the last 8 years when the choirboy submiited his > memories? Hi Jean, Colston's Almshouse, built in 1691, is still there. A photograph of the building is here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/133481 Streetview around Colston’s Almshouse http://www.ukattraction.com/west-country/streetview/colstons-almshouse.htm Josephine

Thank you Josephine, What a beautiful, elegant classical building. I hope it was comfortable for the pensioners to live in. This suggests that it must have been rather more populous at that time than I supposed from the map 90 years later. Is is still used for the same function? I hope so. It amazes me how such collective housing projects - like Vicars' Hall at Wells, as well as many other almshouses have lasted so long. Jean Wood > Message du 24/09/12 14:37 > De : "Josephine Jeremiah" > A : [email protected] > Copie à : > Objet : [B&S] Colston's Almshouse, built 1691 (was St Michael's, Bristol Blitz) > > On Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:56:07 +0100, Jean WOOD wrote: > What a devastating time, and so sad to hear what has happened since > Do ANY of the old buildings exist there and has anyone done anything > about the church in the last 8 years when the choirboy submiited his > memories? Hi Jean, Colston's Almshouse, built in 1691, is still there. A photograph of the building is here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/133481 Streetview around Colston’s Almshouse http://www.ukattraction.com/west-country/streetview/colstons-almshouse.htm Josephine ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message