Tour Highlights ss Great Britain The Matthew City Museum and Art Gallery The New Room and Charles Wesley's House St Mary Redcliffe Church Bristol discovered mainland America, brought Methodism to it's shores, gave Pennsylvania it's name and painted the most famous portrait of General Washington. Read on to find out more....

In 1497 the Italian navigator John Cabot (Giovanno Caboto) set sail from Bristol's harbour in a ship financed by the city's wealthy Merchant Venturers, and manned by local crew. Like Columbus he believed he could find a westerly route to the Indies, but unlike Columbus he landed not in the West Indies but on the American mainland itself. In 1997 Bristol and Canada celebrated the 500th anniversary of this voyage of discovery.

A replica of his ship, named The Matthew, was built in traditional materials on Bristol's harbourside and recreated the voyage to Newfoundland. Today this brave little ship can be boarded by visitors, moored on Bristol's harbourside as part of the same complex as the ss Great Britain.

Visit the ss Great Britain, the first great transatlantic liner to New York, together with the Matthew.
Allow 1-2 hours.

(Bristol's Floating Harbour was Britain's most important port during WWII, and through its lock gates were imported most of the weapons, munitions and goods from America. General McArthur, in charge of American forces in Britain, established his headquarters in Clifton College in Bristol. This ancient school is absolutely beautiful and well worth a walk or drive past. Every Independence Day it raises the Stars & Stripes in recognition of its past use.)

A painting of Cabot setting sail from Bristol can be viewed in the City Museum & Art Gallery, and nearby is Cabot Tower. Built for the 400th anniversary of the landfall the tower sits on the top of Brandon Hill has fantastic views over the city centre and harbour.

Allow 1 hour for the City Museum & Art Gallery

While you are in the mood for art you may want to visit the Royal West of England Academy. The Academy was built on American dollars earnt by perhaps the most incredible family of portrait painters America has ever seen. James and Ellen Sharples plus their son and daughters travelled to the new USA (despite being hi-jacked by pirates en-route) and settled for a long time in Washington DC. There they painted the most famous portraits of Washington and the new country's most famous founders and Senators. Their work can be seen in the Smithsonian Institute and across America, but despite their huge popularity it was to Bristol that the family returned on the death of James. Here they established an Academy which is still flourishing. A portrait of Ellen Sharples by her daughter Rolinda may be viewed on request.

Enquire about current exhibitions at the Academy and allow time accordingly.

Millions of American Methodists can trace the origins of their church directly back to Bristol. It was here that John Wesley built the very first Methodist Chapel, The New Room, in 1739. Having spent a lot of time in Kingswood on the fringe of Bristol preaching to miners he decided to make Bristol his base.
His brother Charles Wesley chose to settle in Bristol and it was here that he wrote many of his hymns, such as 'Love Divine All Loves Excelling' and 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', sung by many Christian denominations today. Both the New Room and Charles Wesley's house are open to the public today, Charles' house by appointment.

It was in the New Room that John Wesley chose the first missionaries to go to the New World. Francis Asbury was chosen as the first and he set sail from the small village of Pill, just a couple of miles downstream from Bristol. Bishop Francis Asbury, as he later became, toured America for the rest of his life preaching the word, and building a following that today places Methodism as one of America's most influential churches.

Allow 1 hour for The New Room, longer if including Charles Wesley's house.

Continuing the religious theme we go to the parish church of St Mary Redcliffe. Described by Queen Elizabeth I as "the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England" St Mary Redcliffe was known as the sailors' church and has many tales to tell. Here you will find a tomb to Admiral Penn, father of William Penn. Penn was granted land in the new American colonies in leiu of debts by the King. These lands are those of the State of Pennsylvania.

In the American Chapel look out also for a whale bone supposedly brought back to Bristol by Cabot in 1497.  One tomb is for Joan Broke, daughter of Richard ap Meryk ('ap' is Welsh for 'son of'). One of Meryk's duties was to pay a pension granted by Henry VIII to Cabot and it is said that the name America was used by Cabot as a mark of their friendship.

While here ask about the tragic boy poet Chatterley. Chatterley was the son of a rector and a boy genius. He forged a medieval manuscript and tried to pass it off as an original found in the church. Found out he fled to London to find fame and fortune only to end his life at the age of 17. The famous portrait of Death of Chatterley is today hanging in London's Tate Gallery.

Allow 1 1/2 hours