St Philip and Jacob, Bristol
Encyclopedia
SS Philip and Jacob Church, commonly referred to as Pip 'n' Jay, is a parish church
in central Bristol
, England
. Its full name since 1934 is St Philip and St Jacob with Emmanuel the Unity, although reference to the original church of St Philip
exists in records dating from 1174. Historically the 'Mother church of East Bristol', it serves the area known as The Dings.
's 'oldest place of Christian
worship'. The church began as a small priory around AD 900. It was later rebuilt by Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
, who also built the nearby priory of St James'. All that remains of the original church is the font
, although parts the chancel
and tower date from at least the 13th Century. The building was extended during the Middle Ages
to include the present-day nave
, the pillars of which are actually Victorian
additions, possibly by William Armstrong
.
The tower contains eight bells dating from 1738 and made by William Bilbie of the Bilbie family
.
Around 1860 new plans were submitted by John Bindon
, Richard Shackleton Pope
and Thomas Shackleton Pope and accepted for the rebuilding of the church.
An extension was also added to the south-east corner of the church during the 1980s, comprising meeting rooms, a kitchen and other facilities. The building is an English Heritage
Grade II* listed structure.
the demolition of the church was ordered (along with nearby St Peter's
) to prevent its use as a fortress for attacking the city of Bristol. However, reinforcements arriving in the city meant that the building was saved.
In the early 1960s, the church was again threatened with closure, but managed to avoid becoming a potato
factory
due to the vision and determination of its then-small congregation, who adopted both the motto 'Seek First' (from Matthew
Chapter 6, verse 33) and, uniquely, the name 'Pip 'n' Jay'
.
churches in Bristol. In the 1970s it was part of the Charismatic revival
in the Church of England
. Its vicar
was Rev. Canon
Malcolm Widdecombe (1937-2010, brother of Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe
) from 1974 until his retirement in 2009. He died of metastatic
oesophageal cancer on 12 October 2010. His son, Rev Roger Widdecombe, is an Anglican priest. Today, the church supports and sends out many missionaries.
area, and extended beyond the original city boundaries to include what are now the Bristol districts of Baptist Mills
, Barton Hill
, Lawrence Hill
, Newtown, Russell Town, St Jude’s
, St Philips Marsh
, The Dings and part of Easton
. A growing population in the 19th century led to the building of ten new churches in the east of the parish, seven of which have now closed. In 1871 Greenbank Cemetery was opened as a burial place for the whole parish.
The ancient parish lay within the hundred of Barton Regis
.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in central Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its full name since 1934 is St Philip and St Jacob with Emmanuel the Unity, although reference to the original church of St Philip
Saint Philip
Saint Philip, São Filipe, or San Felipe may refer to:People* Saint Philip the Apostle* Saint Philip the Evangelist also known as Philip the Deacon* Saint Philip Neri* Saint Philip Benitius , from Florence, 13th century...
exists in records dating from 1174. Historically the 'Mother church of East Bristol', it serves the area known as The Dings.
The building
Pip 'n' Jay refers to itself as the cityBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
's 'oldest place of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
worship'. The church began as a small priory around AD 900. It was later rebuilt by Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was called "Rufus" and occasionally "de Caen", he is also known as Robert "the Consul"...
, who also built the nearby priory of St James'. All that remains of the original church is the font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, although parts the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and tower date from at least the 13th Century. The building was extended during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
to include the present-day nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, the pillars of which are actually Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
additions, possibly by William Armstrong
William Armstrong
William Armstrong may refer to:* Kinmont Willie Armstrong , Scottish border reiver, known as "Kinmont Willie"* William Armstrong , Scottish border freebooter, known as "Christie's Will"...
.
The tower contains eight bells dating from 1738 and made by William Bilbie of the Bilbie family
Bilbie family
The Bilbie family were bell founders and clockmakers based initially in Chew Stoke, Somerset and later at Cullompton, Devon in south-west England from the late 17th century to the early 19th century....
.
Around 1860 new plans were submitted by John Bindon
John Bindon
John Dennis Arthur "Biffo" Bindon was a British actor and bodyguard who had close links with the London underworld. In numerous films, he played gangsters or tough police detective. Bindon has been described as "the archetypal actor-villain, and an all-round 'good geezer'". He was also notable for...
, Richard Shackleton Pope
Richard Shackleton Pope
Richard Shackleton Pope was a British architect working mainly in Bristol. His father was a clerk of works for Sir Robert Smirke, and Pope succeeded him, also working for C.R. Cockerell...
and Thomas Shackleton Pope and accepted for the rebuilding of the church.
An extension was also added to the south-east corner of the church during the 1980s, comprising meeting rooms, a kitchen and other facilities. The building is an English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Grade II* listed structure.
Closure threats
During the English civil warEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
the demolition of the church was ordered (along with nearby St Peter's
St Peter, Bristol
St Peter's was a church in what is now Castle Park, Bristol, England.The church has Saxon foundations, with a 12th century lower tower, the rest of the church being built in the 15th century. Excavations in 1975 suggest that this was the site of Bristol's first church; the 12th century city wall...
) to prevent its use as a fortress for attacking the city of Bristol. However, reinforcements arriving in the city meant that the building was saved.
In the early 1960s, the church was again threatened with closure, but managed to avoid becoming a potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
due to the vision and determination of its then-small congregation, who adopted both the motto 'Seek First' (from Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
Chapter 6, verse 33) and, uniquely, the name 'Pip 'n' Jay'
Popinjay
Popinjay may refer to:* Old-fashioned term for a parrot * A dandy or foppish person* Popinjay , a shooting sport that can be performed with either rifles or archery equipment...
.
The church today
Since 1963, Pip 'n' Jay has become one of the leading EvangelicalEvangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
churches in Bristol. In the 1970s it was part of the Charismatic revival
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Its vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
was Rev. Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
Malcolm Widdecombe (1937-2010, brother of Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe
Ann Widdecombe
Ann Noreen Widdecombe is a former British Conservative Party politician and has been a novelist since 2000. She is a Privy Councillor and was the Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1987 to 1997 and for Maidstone and The Weald from 1997 to 2010. She was a social conservative and a member of...
) from 1974 until his retirement in 2009. He died of metastatic
Metastasis
Metastasis, or metastatic disease , is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. It was previously thought that only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize; however, this is being reconsidered due to new research...
oesophageal cancer on 12 October 2010. His son, Rev Roger Widdecombe, is an Anglican priest. Today, the church supports and sends out many missionaries.
The parish
St Philip and Jacob is one of the original parishes of Bristol. It includes the Old MarketOld Market, Bristol
Old Market is a Conservation Area of national significance, to the east of the city centre in Bristol, England. Old Market Street and West Street form the central axis of the area, which is approximately bounded by New Street and Lawfords Gate to the north, Trinity Road and Trinity Street to the...
area, and extended beyond the original city boundaries to include what are now the Bristol districts of Baptist Mills
Baptist Mills, Bristol
Baptist Mills an area of the city of Bristol, England. The name derives from the former mills which stood in that area.-History:Baptist Mills is so named from the mills that once stood there. They were fed from the River Frome....
, Barton Hill
Barton Hill, Bristol
Barton Hill is an area of Bristol, just to the east of the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station.It includes residential, retail and industrial premises and is crossed by major roads, railway tracks and the feeder canal leading to Bristol Harbour.-History:Barton was a manor just...
, Lawrence Hill
Lawrence Hill, Bristol
Lawrence Hill is an electoral ward of Bristol, United Kingdom. It takes its name from a small area just to the east of the city centre, and includes the districts of Barton Hill, St Philips Marsh and Redcliffe, Temple Meads and parts of Easton and the Broadmead shopping area.-History:It is the most...
, Newtown, Russell Town, St Jude’s
St Jude's, Bristol
St Jude's is an area of Bristol bordering the Broadmead shopping area of Bristol. The main car park for Cabot Circus is located there. Despite its position, the area is not very well off, an entrance to Bristol's main shopping centre is located at the end of a street on what is otherwise a normal...
, St Philips Marsh
St Philips Marsh
St Philip's Marsh is an industrial inner suburb of Bristol, England. It is bounded by River Avon and Harbour feeder canal making it an almost island area, unlike the other two areas surrounded by water, it was historically part of Gloucestershire...
, The Dings and part of Easton
Easton, Bristol
Easton is both the name of a council ward in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and an inner city area that lies partly within that ward. The Easton ward also contains the Whitehall and Netham areas of the city. Notable places within the ward include Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road railway...
. A growing population in the 19th century led to the building of ten new churches in the east of the parish, seven of which have now closed. In 1871 Greenbank Cemetery was opened as a burial place for the whole parish.
The ancient parish lay within the hundred of Barton Regis
Barton Regis (hundred)
Barton Regis was an ancient hundred of Gloucestershire, England, which also included the county of Bristol. In Gloucestershire it included the ancient parishes of*Clifton*Mangotsfield*Stapleton...
.