Only ruins remain of this old church. The Blitz destroyed all but its tower. The crumbling fragments of the rest were left on view as a reminder of war’s destructive power. St Mary’s was one of the earliest churches of Bristol. It was founded in Saxon times and enlarged after the Norman conquest. Around it grew up a market. The Saxon name for a market town was a port, which explains how St Mary-le-Port got its name. The present tower is 15th-century.