Features / history
The mystery of two medieval figures marooned inside a bin store
It’s certainly perplexing to find a rudimentary bin store attached to the back of a late medieval Bristol town house.
The building is “a rare survivor of its time” according to its Grade II listing but it is what has been placed on its rear wall that is just as interesting as the building itself.
Two small stone carved figures can just be glimpsed through the slats in the wooden bin store. They appear to be angels and sometime in the last few years have been painted gold.
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Believed to date from the 15th century, the figures are located in Tailors Court, behind Chez Marcel on Broad Street.
One plausible explanation is that they are remnants from the former St George’s Chapel which used to be situated next to and was later within what is now the Guildhall, where work is currently underway to transform it into a luxury hotel.
Tailors Court is found just off Broad Street in the heart of medieval Bristol – photo: Martin Booth
Doctor Who fans will also know that Chez Marcel was transformed into a toy shop shop called Mr Emporium when filming took place in 2022.
Remarkably, the creperie’s bin store is not the only one in Bristol which covers medieval artefacts with a bin store in Redcliffe obscuring a once grand arcade.
It remains unknown how the two 500-year-old figures found themselves in Tailors Court.
To learn more about the figures and some of the other many mysteries of the Old City and Castle Park, join Martin Booth on a walking tour on Saturday and Sunday mornings: www.yuup.co/experiences/explore-bristol-s-quirkiest-corners
Main photo: Martin Booth
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