Welcome to the St Mary Redcliffe Boys' School
Pre. 1970 History Project Website

Redcliffe Vicarages & Rail Tunnel
(in relation to St Mary Redcliffe Boys' School)

This page is divided into 2 sections:

 The Vicarages | Redcliffe Rail Tunnel

To leave your comments / memories,
click to Memory Lane
 

WANTED! - If you have any other pre. 1970 images, memories, stories or other historical information about the Vicarages or rail tunnel relating to St Mary Redcliffe Boys' School that could be displayed on this page (with a credit to you of course) please commit them to an email now and .
radical_solutions (at) hotmail (dot) com

Two St Mary Redcliffe Vicarages
(important in School's History)

Map shows original Vicarage building (b 1701) in circa 1850 with wide
entrance on to RH for access. The address was No. 73 Redcliffe Hill.

Looking down the driveway from the Vicarage towards
Redcliffe Hill, pic shows "then and now" views

The original Vicarage was demolished in circa 1868 to make way for the new rail tunnel. The new Vicarage was built after the tunnel's completion. circa 1872 and its location moved north (much closer to the school) to avoid the tunnel. The driveway and large front garden of the new Vicarage now had the tunnel directly beneath.

Access to the new Vicarage was from Guinea Street (much further to walk to and from the Church) so a new alleyway was provided, retaining the original quicker route to the Church. See map, circa 1930 up this page, to see position of an alleyway leading to the re-built Vicarage and how it joined to other footpaths around the new grounds. The Vicarage was demolished in around 1939, only the alleyway remained for school use.

Aerial photo of school in 1946

Note "car" marks appox position of vehicle shown in picture below,
arrow indicates window in old school building that's partly visible

View of main school building down the side of the NEW Vicarage (built circa 1870).
Chimney shown is that above "H" on "keyed" view shown at the top of main page.

Click image to view full Vicarage picture

A (fuzzy) aerial view around 1930 - Shot Tower top right this time.
Vicarage shown bottom left backing onto school, see better picture above.

click image to enlarge

Note rank of single storey shops with awnings on Redcliffe Hill.
The back wall of the school (left center of pic) appears blank?
Mysterious as there were windows? - (see pic below)

Another AV (1934) showing how close the vicarage was to the back of
the school. Back wall of the school clearly has the window in this picture

Note: Parish Hall - bottom center | Shot Tower and Church - top right

Redcliffe Rail Tunnel started in 1868
(Opened in 1870, last train ran 1964)

Two years later in 1872 the church tower, which had been struck by lightning in 1446, was finally repaired after 400+ years. One might speculate that money for the repair may have come from reparations paid by the builders of the tunnel. A case of something deep in the ground paying for something high in the air!

Three shops and a school access were built over the railway tunnel where it crossed Redcliffe Hill replacing existing the shops from no 71 to 76. (see map in Vicarage section of this page) The tunnel could not withstand the weight of a 2 storey building. (see map circa 1930 at top of main page for tunnel route)

Closer view of the "out of place" single storey shops on Redcliffe Hill

click image to enlarge

Note part of school roof / buildings in background,
School's third access point via single arch to left of rank

It is interesting that for the "landed gentry" homes (see below) rebuilt opposite the church (including Samuel Plimsol's birth place 1824), more money was found to make the foundations much stronger allowing second & third storeys, nothing really changes!

The broken facade of Colston Parade, trouble underground?

This picture, circa 1965, pinpoints each end of the rail tunnel / POI

Note kids in playground, I could have been one of those dots!
Protrusion into playground directly over tunnel route - purpose?
Victorian "Gap" in Georgian facade facing the Church and the
single storey shops on RH both marking where the tunnel runs.

Pictures show the Baltic Wharf end of tunnel circa 1960

Note Guinea Street houses just visible center right

Picture shows Church end of tunnel circa 1980

Note raised ground level only leaves approx. the top half
of tunnel entrance visible, Church in background,
ventilation fan in the bricked up entrance?

Read more about the rail line that included the tunnel here

WANTED! - If you have any other pre. 1970 images, memories, stories or other historical information about the Vicarages or rail tunnel relating to St Mary Redcliffe Boys' School that could be displayed on this page (with a credit to you of course) please commit them to an email now and .
radical_solutions (at) hotmail (dot) com