St Mary Redcliffe from the South. The first record of a church on this site
comes from the year 1115 when Henry I gave a church dedicated to the
'Blessed Mary of Radclive' to Salisbury Cathedral. In the 14th century the
church was rebuilt in the decorated and perpendicular styles. Until recently
it was believed that the rebuilding of the church was largely paid for by
William Canynges, a wealthy Bristol shipping merchant, but it is now
thought that many local mercantile families funded the project.