Bristol High Cross, Gothic market cross in Stourton, United Kingdom
The Bristol High Cross is a Gothic market cross now standing at the entrance to the Stourhead estate in Stourton with Gasper, Wiltshire. It rises in four tiers of decreasing size, each supported by octagonal piers and decorated with cusped arches and canopied niches.
The cross was built in 1373 to mark Bristol's rise to the status of a county in its own right, separate from Somerset and Gloucestershire. In 1780, it was moved from its original location in the center of Bristol to the Stourhead estate, where it has remained ever since.
The cross carries eight royal figures, including King John and Elizabeth I, standing in niches around its structure. For visitors to the Stourhead gardens, it serves as a striking focal point at the entrance to the estate.
The cross stands at the entrance to the Stourhead National Trust estate and is easy to spot when arriving at the grounds. It can be seen without going deep into the gardens, making it one of the first things visitors notice on arrival.
The cross was originally painted in bright colors, including blue, gold, red, and vermilion, not for decoration alone but to protect the oolitic limestone from frost damage. This means the monument that looks like bare stone today once looked more like a painted fairground attraction than a solemn civic marker.
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