Bristol Archives

The Rownham Ferry was a boat service across the River Avon in Bristol, England. It began operations by the twelfth century and ceased in 1932 after the construction of bridges across the river.

The New Cut is an artificial waterway which was constructed between 1804 and 1809 to divert the tidal river Avon through south and east Bristol, England. This was part of the process of constructing Bristol's Floating Harbour, under the supervision of engineer William Jessop. The cut runs from Totterdown Basin at the eastern end of St Phillip's Marsh, near Temple Meads, to the Underfall sluices at Rownham in Hotwells and rejoining the original course of the tidal Avon. The length of the cut is approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km) and with the addition of short sections of the original course of the river Avon at either end, connecting Netham weir and Totterdown basin, and the Underfall sluices to the mouth of the Entrance lock at Cumberland Basin, the overall watercourse length is 3.2 miles (5.1 km). No ships have navigated the cut on a regular basis since the 1930s, but it is still possible for boats to proceed as far as Netham weir with care.

The Bristol International Exhibition was held on Ashton Meadows in the Bower Ashton area of Bristol, England in 1914. The exhibition which had been planned since 1912 was a commercial venture and not fully supported by the civic dignitaries of the city which caused difficulties raising the funds needed. Most of the construction of the venues was from wooden frames covered by plasterboard and occurred in just 2 months prior to opening. It opened on 28 May 1914 was closed on 6 June. Further funding was raised and the exhibition reopened, but continued to struggle with lower than expected attendance and, following several court hearings, finally closed on 15 August just after the outbreak of World War I. The site covered 30 acres (12 ha) next to the River Avon and was served by two railway stations. The venues included: an International Pavilion and a concert hall, a replica of Bristol Castle, a representation of "Old Plymouth" with a replica of the Revenge and the Dominions Pavilion. Other attractions included a Scenic Railway roller coaster and buildings representing "Shakespeare's England". The entire site was lit by electric lighting including the Pageant Ground which had a grandstand holding 4,000 people. After the premature closure of the exhibition the site was used, until 1919, as barracks for The Gloucestershire Regiment. Some buildings became warehouses after the troops left but all had been demolished before World War II when the site was again used for troops and then squatters housing. There are no structures on the site which is now used for allotments, a cricket club and the horse and dog section of Avon and Somerset Constabulary. In 2022 construction started on housing on part of the site.

Clifton Bridge railway station is a former railway station in the Bower Ashton district of Bristol, England, near the River Avon. It was opened in 1867 by the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company as a single platform stop 3.4 miles (5.5 km) along the line from Bristol to Portishead. It was later taken over by the Great Western Railway and had a second platform added. Passenger services at the station declined following the Second World War, and the Beeching Report recommended the complete closure of the Portishead line. Passenger services at Clifton Bridge ended on 7 September 1964, with goods services following on 5 July 1965, although the line saw occasional traffic until 1981. Most of the station was demolished, leaving some remains of the platforms, a retaining wall and the footbridge. Regular freight trains through the station began to run again in 2002 when Royal Portbury Dock was connected to the rail network. The line is due to be reopened to passenger traffic as part of MetroWest, but there are no plans to reopen the station.

The Cumberland Basin is the main entrance to the docks of the city of Bristol, England. It separates the areas of Hotwells from the tip of Spike Island.

B Bond Warehouse (grid reference ST570720) is a former bonded warehouse built to serve Bristol Harbour. Built in 1908, B Bond was the second of three warehouses constructed close to Cumberland Basin to meet the demands of the tobacco import boom of the early 20th century. A Bond was built in 1905 and C Bond in 1919. All three warehouses are Grade II listed buildings.B Bond was the first major building in Britain constructed using the reinforced concrete system pioneered by Edmond Coignet. It was built by Cowlins Construction. The open plan structure, which is nine storeys high and has an 18-window range, was created in two equal parts separated by central spine wall. In addition to the concrete structure, the warehouse was built using black bricks, patent red bricks and blue engineering bricks, with Pennant stone steps, terracotta details and a Welsh slate roof.In the 1990s it was still being used for the storage of wines and spirits. The building is now owned by Bristol City Council. The western half houses Bristol Archives (which holds the extensive archives of the city of Bristol) as well as other council offices. The brickwork of the exterior of the building was refurbished by John Perkins Construction using bricks which matched the originals.The eastern side is occupied by the CREATE Centre, which includes an energy-saving Ecohome designed by Bruges Tozer Architects. The CREATE Centre also houses several organisations working in sustainable development, including the city council's sustainability teams.In 2015 a quarter of a million books and reference materials were moved from Bristol Central Library to the B Bond Warehouse to make space for refurbishment and the development of a school at the library building.

Tower Belle is a passenger boat based in Bristol Harbour in England. The vessel is operated by the Bristol Packet Boat Trips company on pleasure and educational trips in the City Docks, on the River Avon to the Chequers Inn at Hanham Lock and Beese's Tea Gardens at Conham. Tower Belle was built in 1920 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Armstrong Whitworth, originally known as Wincomblee. In the 1950s and 1960s she worked in London, finally coming to Bristol in 1976.

Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects the docks to the sea, lies at the western end of Hotwells. The eastern end of the area is at the roundabout where Jacobs Well Road meets Hotwell Road. Hotwells is split between the city wards of Clifton, and Hotwells and Harbourside.

The Nova Scotia (grid reference ST571721) is a historic nineteenth century pub on Spike Island adjacent to the Cumberland Basin in Bristol Harbour in Bristol, England. It was originally built as a terrace of three houses and then converted into a pub. It is a grade II listed building. It was a coaching inn and traces of large lanterns and the entrance to the coach yard survive.The pub serves food and has a range of real ales and traditional cider.

Hope Chapel is home to Hope Community Church in Hotwells, Bristol, England. It is a Grade II listed building.

The Hydraulic engine house is part of the "Underfall Yard" in Bristol Harbour in Bristol, England. The octagonal brick and terracotta chimney of the engine house dates from 1888, and is grade II* listed, as is the hydraulic engine house itself. It replaced the original pumping house which is now The Pump House public house. It is built of red brick with a slate roof and originally contained two steam engines made by the Worthington Corporation. These were compound surface condensing cylinders of 17.5 inches (440 mm) diameter. These were replaced in 1907 by the current machines from Fullerton, Hodgart and Barclay of Paisley. It powered the docks' hydraulic system of cranes, bridges and locks until 2010. Water is pumped from the harbour to a header tank and then fed by gravity to the high pressure pumps, where it is pressurised thence raising the external hydraulic accumulator. This stores the hydraulic energy ensuring a smooth delivery of pressure and meaning that the pumps do not need to be running the whole time nor be capable of supplying the instantaneous peak demands. The working pressure is 750 lbs/square inch. The external accumulator was added about 1954 when the original inside the building's tower became difficult to service (but it remains in place). The building originally contained a pair of steam powered pumps however these were replaced with three electrically driven ones in 1907. The engine house provided the power for equipment such as the lock gates and cranes until 2010.The visitor centre in the hydraulic power house opened in time for Easter 2016.

Dowry Square is in the Hotwells area of Bristol. It was laid out in 1727 by George Tully and building continued until 1750. The houses are three-storeyed with attics, simply detailed and with channelled pilasters to the party walls.In 1799 Dr Thomas Beddoes opened a laboratory in Dowry Square as the Pneumatic Institution where he worked with Sir Humphry Davy.