Fry's House of Mercy is a Grade II listed building in the Bristol, City of local planning authority area, England. First listed on 4 March 1977. A Georgian Almshouse. 1 related planning application.
Fry's House of Mercy
- WRENN ID
- strange-ember-hawthorn
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Bristol, City of
- Constituency
- Bristol Central MP: Carla Denyer (Green)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 4 March 1977
- Type
- Almshouse
- Period
- Georgian
- Address
- Fry's House of Mercy, Colston Parade, BS1 6RA
- OS grid reference
- ST 591 722
- Coordinates
- 51.44747, -2.58972
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
Fry's House of Mercy is an almshouse built in 1784, with some internal alterations made in the 20th century. It was endowed by William Fry, a local distiller.
The building features coarse roughcast walls, a limestone parapet, and brick chimneys located behind the ridge of a pantile roof. It has a two-storied, double-depth plan with a long range at the rear. The exterior displays a symmetrical three-bay elevation in the Gothick style. The central entrance has a two-leaf door with modern strap hinges and scrolled ends, set within a four-centred moulded arch supported by uncarved imposts and moulded jambs. The lancet windows on both floors have Y-tracery and two leaded casements with interlacing heads. The elevation is topped with a crenellated parapet and a cornice below it. Above the doorway, an oval panel reads "FRY'S HOUSE OF MERCY 1784."
The interior was not inspected but is known to have been rebuilt behind the façade after 1945. Fry's House of Mercy was founded in 1778 and completed in 1784 to provide housing for twelve widows, connected to the parish of St. Mary Redcliffe, which likely influenced its Gothick design. After suffering bomb damage during World War II, the almshouse was partially rebuilt while retaining its original façade.
Fry's House of Mercy is significant for its architectural interest, particularly its Gothick design, and its historic value as one of the few surviving 18th-century philanthropic buildings in the city, still serving its original purpose. It also holds group value with the nearby Grade I listed St. Mary Redcliffe church and other listed buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries on Colston Parade.
Local climate
Fry's House of Mercy receives an average of 860 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 61% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 68% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 33 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 55% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 1 application
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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Nearby listed buildings
- 3, 4 and 5, Colston Parade
- 1 and 2, Colston Parade
- Number 51 and Attached Basement Area Wall
- The Ship Inn
- War Memorial, St Mary Redcliffe
- Perimeter Walls, Piers, Gates and Railings to Churchyard of St Mary Redcliffe
- Church of St Mary Redcliffe
- Fountain
- St John the Baptist Hermitage
- Numbers 2 to 12 and Attached Front Area Railings