Described by Elizabeth I as ‘the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England’, St Mary Redcliffe is both an ecclesiastical jewel and a dynamic, living church – a beacon of positivity, helping the least-advantaged and marginalised within the city of Bristol.
The church is ambitious to expand its outreach and mission activities. It is also determined to increase people’s enjoyment of the building by creating an outstanding visitor experience. The church’s development project, the focus of this design competition, will run concurrently with a wider regeneration project, The Redcliffe Neighbourhood Development Plan, which seeks to place the church – Grade I listed and the architectural equivalent of many European cathedrals – at the heart of a new urban village within the city centre.
