Most Bristolians will know the Lord Mayor's Chapel near the centre of Bristol. It stands across College Green from Bristol Cathedral, like David challenging Goliath. That image leaps to mind again and again in its history.

The Lord Mayor's Chapel is unique. It is the only church in England owned by a local authority. It glows with civic pride. On the walls are the hatchments of past mayors of Bristol, starting with that of the city merchant John Becher. It was he who pushed for the creation of a civic chapel. The Chapel has tutor ceilings and glass from across Europe. There are sixty-four Council seats carved in pews, with two ornately carved wooden chairs for the Lord Mayor and Lord Mayoress.