From the 1740s, Catholics in Bristol could pray in a private chapel, on St James Back. The chapel's own records date from 1777. With the Catholic population of the city increasing, a new, larger place of worship had to be sought. In 1786, the Earl of Arundel paid for a new site on Trenchard Street for a chapel, which became St Joseph Chapel. Construction work on the new chapel began in March 1788. On 27 June 1790, it was opened and congregation moved to the new chapel. The St James Back chapel was sold off that year.
Construction
The St Mary on the Quay church building was originally intended to be a chapel for the Catholic Apostolic Church in Bristol. It was designed by Richard Shackleton Pope and construction began in 1839. It was built in a Neoclassical style and completed in 1840. However, the Irvingite congregation could not afford the church. Meanwhile, St Joseph Chapel was becoming too small to hold the increasing numbers of parishioners and it was a very short distance from the Irvingite chapel. In 1843, the Catholics bought it and renamed it St Mary on the Quay Church.
Establishment
The first priest was a Franciscan, Fr Patrick O'Farrell. He served the parish until 1857. That year, the parish was handed over to the Society of Jesus. The St Joseph Chapel continued as a place of worship until 19 November 1871. It was turned into a school and parish hall for St Mary on the Quay Church. When the church was built, the Bristol Floating Harbour came to the front the church. There were boating rings in the front wall so that boats could be tied to the church, while they were docked at the harbour. In 1893, the harbour was covered over and now a road, Colston Avenue, is in front of the church. The boating rings were later removed in a subsequent renovation. In 1978, the parish hall, the old St Joseph Chapel, was sold to become housing. In May 1981, it was demolished with only the façade remaining. The Jesuits administered the parish until 1996, when the church was placed under the care of the Diocese of Clifton. In 2004, the Bishop of Clifton, Declan Lang, invited the Divine Word Missionaries to serve the parish which they continue to do so.
Archives
Archives for St Mary on the Quay church, Bristol are held at Bristol Archives including baptism, confirmation, marriage and death registers. The archive also includes registers of sick calls and records of the Heavens Orphanage, schools and societies.
Parish
There are four Sunday Masses held in the church. The first one is at 6:15pm on Saturday evening, then 9:30am and 11:00am on Sunday morning and at 5:15pm on Sunday evening.
