The Origins Of Blaise Castle
Blaise Hill has always been an important site and has been occupied since The Iron Age in one form or another. In Roman times the hill was homed to a hill fort, the remains of the fort were discovered by a dig in 1918, when stone foundations and Roman artefacts were found.
Blaise Hill was formerly home to St Werburgh’s Chapel, which is thought to have been founded around the year 700, but could have been as late as 960. Although there is no record of St Werburgh’s after 1299, there are records of a St Blaise Chapel, which is believed to have been located on the same site. The chapel was abandoned by the year 1577.
In 1707 some excavation took place, and many human remains were found in a vault, near the chapel site.
Blaise Castle was commissioned by Thomas Farr a wealthy Bristol merchant as a summerhouse and was built in 1766 by Robert Mylne on the site of the former Blaise Chapel at a cost of £3,000.
The castle was built on the highest part of the estate at a height of 250 feet above sea level. It was built with carboniferous limestone, dolomite conglomerate, lias limestone and pennant sandstone, which was mainly taken from the hill itself and the surrounding area. Bath stone was also used for ornamental purposes, and was probably shipped along The River Avon from Bath to Sea Mills, where it was hauled up to the site.
Originally the castle had two floors which were furnished and there was access to the roof via a staircase. One of the turrets contained a wooden staircase to reach the very top of the castle, to provide an even better view.
The estate was bought by Bristol City Council in 1926. In 1957, the castle underwent a significant restoration and in 1959 the building was Grade II Listed.