St John’s Gate sits at the bottom of Broad Street, in the heart of Bristol’s old commercial district. It’s famous for being the last surviving segment of the medieval city wall — a lone survivor of the five gates that once ringed the walled town. It’s a wonderful example of medieval architecture, standing in striking contrast to the mismatch of modern buildings and grand Victorian survivors from Bristol’s heyday as a commercial hub.
Bristol was founded in Anglo-Saxon times, and legend has it that the city’s founders were Belinus and Brennus — the very figures whose statues flank St John’s Gate.
Just around the corner from the gate is an old pump, a remnant of the water supply that once served the medieval town. Remarkably, these same pipes went on to become the city’s only public water source during the Bristol Blitz in the Second World War, keeping residents supplied when so much else had been destroyed — which makes it well worth pausing to take a look. It’s easy to walk through Bristol without ever noticing these quiet survivors of the city’s past.
