After three days of rioting, Queen Square in the centre of Bristol lay in ruins. Properties on two sides of it were completely wiped out and the Mansion House – the home of the city’s Lord Mayor – the Excise Office and Custom House were all badly damaged. […]
It may have been a bank holiday weekend, but a team of three were hard at work restoring Independence, a vessel owned by the Bristol Ferry Boat Company. On a 1880s slipway overlooking the picturesque Bristol Floating Harbour, they were lovingly painting on a grey undercoat before the […]
What with centenary commemorations marking the beginning of the First World War in 1914 and it being 25 years since the Berlin Wall fell, we are at risk of becoming exhausted from historical anniversaries this year. But as a proud Bristolian now living in exile in London, I […]
Hidden away at the foot of the splendid Avon Gorge in Bristol, there are a few streets of houses that thousands wiz past everyday on their journey into the city. Most probably don’t stop to blink at the heritage they are missing. With little more than pubs, average […]
Back in Bristol for Christmas, it’s fascinating to see how much the city I was born in has changed and how much hasn’t. Bars, pubs, restaurants and shops I once frequented have disappeared – either replaced by new businesses or now boarded up. Bristol, like other parts of […]
People from Bristol have contributed a lot to the world over the years. Bristolians played a large part in manufacturing Concorde, they created plasticine and invented the blanket. And of course John Cabot sailed from Bristol and re-discovered North America in 1497. But perhaps a lesser known fact […]
When the sun is shining there are few better places to be than sitting on the terrace of a dockside bar in Bristol. Even in the heat you can while away a few hours at ease as there is almost always a gentle breeze. Boats carrying tourists pass […]
Past In The Present 