Blackfriars, Bristol

Blackfriars is a Dominican friary in Broadmead at Bristol's center, featuring stone buildings, cloisters, and monastic structures. The site is protected as a heritage monument and now serves as a restaurant and part of the Register Office, with the medieval structures carefully preserved.

Founders Maurice de Gaunt and Matthew de Gurnay established it in 1227, with construction lasting four decades. Timber for the building came from the Forest of Dean.

The Dominican friars were involved in teaching and community work, creating a place where people from Bristol sought to be buried. This engagement still shapes how we understand the connection between religious communities and the city.

The site sits conveniently in the city center and can be included easily during a city walk or visit. Stone structures remain visible, though access may be limited since the grounds still function as a working space.

The last native Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Dafydd, was buried in the cemetery after dying in captivity in 1287. His burial links Welsh history to this Bristol site in an unexpected way.