Bristol has no shortage of churches, but one of its strangest temples is devoted to nature. Outside the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry, artist Luke Jerram’s Palm Temple resembles a futuristic chapel made of wood and stained glass. Created in 2020 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Brunelleschi’s famous dome in Florence, it eventually found a permanent home in Jerram’s native Bristol, where he donated it to the university.
The structure is an ingenious architectural illusion. Two halves of a spiralling wooden dome are positioned opposite one another, creating the impression of two giant palms pressed together in prayer. Colourful dichroic panels act like ever-changing stained glass, while a mirrored floor reflects the structure, sky, and surrounding weather.
Suspended inside is Jerram’s Extinction Bell, which rings randomly between 150 and 200 times a day. Each toll represents an estimated species becoming extinct somewhere in the world within 24 hours. The bell transforms the pavilion from a beautiful place of contemplation into a quiet warning about the planet’s disappearing biodiversity.
The Palm Temple is part chapel, part kaleidoscope, and part environmental alarm. Open to visitors, it changes constantly with the light and weather, and after dark it glows from within. In a city celebrated for its street art and architecture, it offers an especially unusual place to pause—and listen for the next bell.