Medieval Bristol: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

Bristol's medieval streets carry more than a thousand years of drama, ambition, and spectacle. On this self-guided audio tour, you'll trace the city's most gripping stories through plague, rebellion, public punishment, and royal ceremony – uncovering how power and criminality shaped one of England's great medieval cities. The tour starts at St John on the Wall, a 14th-century church built atop the last surviving fragment of Bristol's medieval wall, complete with a portcullis groove still visible overhead. From here, you'll walk through the arch where Elizabeth I processed on horseback and Queen Victoria knighted a mayor without stepping from her carriage. The tour ends at the crossroads of High Street and Wine Street, where the High Cross once soared 50 feet high as Bristol's stage for coronations, executions, and naked parades of shamed lovers.

1. 1

   Stop 1

   Pass by

   Pass through the last surviving fragment of Bristol's medieval wall and spot the portcullis groove still visible in the arch overhead. Walk in the footsteps of Elizabeth I, who processed on horseback through this very gateway during her royal visit to the city.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   Pass by

   Admire the grand façade of this 18th-century exchange, built to serve Bristol's booming merchant trade. Step outside to find the famous bronze nails on the pavement, where merchants once settled their deals on the spot — giving rise to the expression "paying on the nail."

3. 3

   Stop 3

   Pass by

   Explore one of Bristol's oldest and most atmospheric trading spaces, tucked beneath the arches of the historic city centre. Stroll through stalls and covered passages that have drawn merchants and market-goers to this spot for centuries.

4. 4

   Christmas Steps

   Pass by

   Climb this narrow, cobbled medieval stairway lined with timber-framed buildings that lean overhead as you ascend. Discover the layers of history packed into one of Bristol's most evocative and unchanged streetscapes.

5. 5

   Stop 5

   Pass by

   Seek out the surviving remains of Bristol Castle's Great Hall, all that is left of a 30-acre royal fortress that once dominated the city. Stand in the open parkland and imagine the scale of the stronghold that shaped Bristol's medieval power.

6. 6

   Stop 6

   Pass by

   Cross the River Avon on the site of a bridge that once carried five-storey houses, a chapel, and a thriving community above the water. Hear the remarkable story of a cow that survived being swept into the Avon when the original structure collapsed.

7. 7

   Harbourside

   Pass by

   Gaze across the floating harbour that made Bristol one of England's most powerful trading cities and a hub of the Viking slave trade long before the 18th-century trade began. Walk the waterfront where merchants, sailors, and contraband once moved freely between ships and city.

8. 8

   The Red Lodge Museum

   Pass by

   Step inside one of Bristol's rare surviving Tudor interiors, with its richly carved oak room dating back to the 1590s. Explore a building that has witnessed the city's transformation from Elizabethan prosperity to Georgian reform.

9. 9

   The Georgian House Museum

   Pass by

   Enter a perfectly preserved merchant's townhouse and come face to face with the intimate details of 18th-century Bristol life. Discover the lives of both the wealthy sugar merchant who owned it and the enslaved people whose labour funded its construction.

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.