Things to do at Bristol Cathedral with Kids

How often do you find yourself looking for somewhere a bit different to visit that won’t cost a fortune? Especially during the loooong school holidays! If this sounds familiar, a trip to Bristol Cathedral could be just the thing. Oh, and did I mention that they run family activities and that it’s free to visit?! 

FAMILY FRIENDLY BRISTOL CATHEDRAL

Bristol Cathedral invited us to experience what’s on offer for kids so that I can share it with you. I thought it was a great idea. It’s not that I’ve never been in Bristol Cathedral: I even had a graduation ceremony there. But I don’t remember ever having a proper look around. You know how it is: when we’re away on holidays or days out, we explore all sorts of places. But we often overlook the amazing places on our doorstep.

We were also hoping to have the rare chance of climbing onto the roof. We’d heard it’s a great place to view Bristol from above. The weather when we arrived was grey and breezy. Hmmm. So we started with a tour inside and hoped it would pick up.

TOUR OF THE CATHEDRAL

We were met by a tour guide who showed us around various parts of the building. She offered titbits of information as we went. She had a planned route but was happy to deviate to answer our questions. Just as well when you have a group of bloggers and curious children in tow! I’ll share some of the interesting parts you can visit.

CATHEDRAL CLOISTER AND CHAPTER HOUSE

This beautiful cloister is one of the oldest parts of the cathedral, dating back to 1140. Decorative stained glass windows were added in 1953, illustrating its history.

The gallery features important figures like Robert Fitz Harding who founded the Abbey and later became Lord Berkeley. Many of the Lord Berkeleys went on to be buried here and their tombs can be seen around the cathedral.

Henry II who grew up in Bristol and endowed land to Fitz Harding is also featured.

Older medieval glass, taken from around the cathedral, has been incorporated into the scene.

Important meetings were held by Abbots in the Chapter house. You can still see the alcoves where the monks would have sat, as they listened to chapters being read from a holy book. Hence the name, Chapter House.

This is where our children enjoyed supervised craft activities.

After the abbey was dissolved in the 16th Century, the remainder of the building became a cathedral.

In 1841 when a floor was taken up, an old stone was discovered. Perhaps it was buried while being used as a coffin lid. The sculpture, depicting Jesus pulling people out of the jaws of hell, is probably the oldest part of the cathedral.

Nearby one of our children pointed out a ship’s bell, which our guide explained is rung to announce every service.

EASTERN LADY CHAPEL

The Eastern Lady Chapel which dates back to the end of the 13th Century, was repainted in 1935. They used the most common colours from medieval times – reds, greens and golds.

Not everyone agrees that it should have been painted, but I think it offers an interesting contrast to the sand coloured stone elsewhere. What do you think?

Like many decorations in the cathedral, the large ‘Jesse’ window which casts light into this chapel tells a story. This one depicts the ancestors of Christ in a tree. The window’s been restored but some parts are original.

I’ve often seen eagles in churches but never knew why. Our guide explained that the eagle symbolises the word of God because it flies highest and is closest to Him.

ELDER LADY CHAPEL

Even older than the Eastern Lady Chapel (and hence its name) is the Elder Lady Chapel dating back to 1220. And no, it doesn’t mean it only caters for the ‘old lady’ niche, as I may have thought when I first heard it. Seats inside the gated area would have been reserved for special worshippers, those with money, power or religious significance, while normal lay folk would have been kept at a safe distance, the wrong side of the barrier.

THE NAVE

We were surprised to learn that the impressive nave wasn’t added until the 19th Century. The word nave comes from the Latin for boat, as the roof structure looks like the underside of a boat. This large area would not have been reserved just for services but might have served all sorts of purposes, like markets.

Services were carried out by the monks day and night and rather than speaking, they sang. Clearly they had a tough life so I like the idea of this little ‘mercy seat’ where they could rest their weary legs while appearing to stay standing during their duties.

THE ROOF AND TOWER TOUR

After all that exploring, the sun came out, offering great conditions for a trip onto the roof. The ascent is fairly steep and dark in places and the steps are both uneven and smooth from wear. I realise now that wearing flip-flops while carrying a large phone in one hand and a massive camera rucksack with a tripod on my back was probably not the most practical equipment combination for the task.

I love the sneak preview from this tiny window on the way up. How ever thick is that wall?!

Wahoo! We’re on the roof.

And yes we actually got to walk on the roof!

I’m not sure if you can make this out but these are the bells from above. You can stand next to the nearest one as you ascend and it’s HUGE.

Huffing and puffing a bit, as you’ll hear if you watch the video below, my giant bag and I managed to negotiate the narrow staircase and made it to the top of the tower. . .

. . . and enjoy the views from the top.

Have a look at the brief video below for a real flavour of the day and how it felt being on the roof.

So that’s the end of the tour but there’s just one more stop you might like to make. . .

THE CAFE

…. And finally, after all that you may need a well deserved rest. The cafe is set in pretty gardens to the side of the cloister. Even if you don’t want to go around the cathedral, you can visit the cafe. The gardens offer an enclosed outdoor space where children can explore.

We spent three hours at the cathedral in total including the tour, a quick pitstop at the cafe and the rooftop climb. It was just long enough but we could have happily stayed a little longer and I’d like to go back and see some of the areas we rushed through. Below are some suggestions based on our visit.

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

GUIDED TOURS

Join a guided tour. It’s free with a suggested donation towards upkeep. Our tour was informative and gave a structure to the visit. It also stopped me having to worry that we might be wandering into areas we shouldn’t be!

CRAFTY CATHEDRAL

Join in with a craft session. Free art and craft activities are available for children and families during school and half-term holidays. My ten and seven year old thoroughly enjoyed this and would happily have let me get a parking fine as they didn’t want to stop making their medieval designs!

PHOTOGRAPHY

Remember your camera or camera phone. Taking photos and sharing them on social media is welcomed, although flash photography is discouraged. There is SO much to photograph. I’ve edited my photos heavily but there are still way more than I normally like to include in a post! I mean, just look at the image below in which the halo has been inlaid with mother of pearl. The sun came out as I was walking past and it blew me away! Oops sorry, I’ve added another one haven’t I?

ROOF/TOWER TOURS

Tower tours are usually only available on special dates, like open doors day but can sometimes be organised for groups. Only twelve-year-olds and over were allowed to go from our group and with good reason I’d say! As you’ll see from the video further down. If you’re lucky enough to go on one of the roof tours, you might want to wear sensible shoes. The stone spiral stairs are narrow, a bit slippery and dark in places. My regulation summer flip-flops were not the most sensible choice of footwear!

GETTING TO BRISTOL CATHEDRAL

The cathedral is centrally located, overlooking College Green and the Council House. If you’re driving, plan your parking. We parked very nearby in Cabot Street car park (behind the Council House) which was reasonably priced for 3 hours. The parking charge jumped up if you stayed longer. You can also park in Millennium Square car park by We The Curious. We would have taken the bus or used the Park and Ride if we’d had time for a longer visit. Both bus stops are nearby.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

If you need more information, the cathedral’s website is well-organised and is an excellent place to start.

Thanks to Bristol Cathedral for hosting us and putting on a special rooftop tour!

Do you have a favourite free family outing? Let us know in the comments below! Check out my BIG guide to The Best Free things to do in Bristol for more money-saving outings.

Looking for other money-saving family outings?
Then check out this article next:-
Fab FREE Things to do in Bristol & North Somerset

DISCLOSURE: We have been hosted by some of the attractions featured for review purposes. All opinions are my/our own and I retain full editorial control of all content on this site.

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