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Before opening his chain of successful holiday camps across the U.K. Billy Butlin’s first foray into family entertainment was a 1920s hoopla stall in Bedminster. It was very popular as although the prizes were of lower value, it offered better odds of winning and was cheaper than his competitors 1/2

submitted 8 hours ago • 2 comments

East Bristol? Best bristol #proofofcat

submitted 20 hours ago • 1 comment

In 1872 Captain John Gray of the SS Great Britain disappeared while the ship was at sea. He is believed to have died by suicide but his actual fate remains a mystery. His ghost is now said to haunt the SS Great Britain and also the King William Pub on King Street.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

This handsome (yet surprisingly difficult to photograph) building next to Kings Weston House was originally built as stables in 1793 by architect Robert Mylne - best known for the original Blackfriars Bridge in London. It was remodelled in 1962 to accommodate its use as a police station.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

In 1904, motorcycle enthusiast PJ Kerswell invented the detachable sidecar. Whilst others had attempted similar designs before, he was the first to successfully market his invention. He sold them from his garage in Old Market where they became an instant success. 1/2

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

This boarded up window at the back of a former jewellers and pawn shop on Park Street (converted from a house in 1865) was built to allow Clifton ladies who were financially struggling a place to discretely pawn their jewellery without risk of being spotted by passersby.

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

This block of stone in the grounds of the Church of St Michael, Dundry (just outside of Bristol) is known as the Dole Table and may date back the 16th or 17th century. Made of local stone, the 1.5 metre cube was possibly used as a place to provide alms for the poor. 1/2

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

‪This sculpture in Bristol Cathedral is “The Harrowing of Hell” and depicts Christ descending to Hell before his Resurrection. It was discovered after part of the Cathedral was destroyed in the Bristol riots of 1831 and is estimated to be over 1,000 years old - predating the cathedral itself.

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Bedminster was established sometime between the 1st and 5th century AD, making the district older than Bristol itself. Originally it was a Somerset town on the banks of the Malago river. East and West street have been thoroughfares since records began and are likely among the oldest roads in Britain

submitted 7 days ago • 1 comment

Queen’s Court in Clifton opened in 1937 and was the first large, high-end block of flats in Bristol. Inspired by Art Deco designs and opulent cruise ships of the day (as well as similar flats in London) during the late ‘60s the building became one (of many) owned by the Beatles. 1/2

submitted 8 days ago • 2 comments

Every May Day/Beltane, I like to watch a British folk horror movie. This year I’m going for one of the classics of the genre…

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Purdown BT Tower was built in 1970 to form part of the nationwide telecommunications network. One alarming aspect of its design, the cylindrical core - made from reinforced concrete, was intended to survive a (non-direct) blast in the nightmare event of a nuclear war.

submitted 9 days ago • 2 comments

On days like today there really is nowhere I’d rather be than just sitting on the harbour, watching the world go by. We live in such a wonderful city.

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

WHERE AM I WEDNESDAY

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The design of the Clifton Suspension Bridge was decided by a competition in which engineers and amateurs alike submitted ideas. This ornate design, from 16 year old William Butterfield was rejected in the first round because it was calculated that the structure could not support itself. 1/2

submitted 10 days ago • 3 comments

‪In 1764 Frances Ruscombe and her maid, Mary Sweet were found stabbed to death in their house on College Green. The crime was so violent and frightening the house remained empty for over 50 years. It stood on part of what is now the Royal Marriott Hotel. The case was never solved.‬

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

For the fine folk of Bristol, and the upcoming Mayoral Elections this Thursday, it's worth remembering that Reform Candidate and Amphibian-resembler Arron Banks has made some interesting remarks about the city.

submitted 11 days ago • 1 comment

‪The Arnos Manor Hotel in Brislingston was built in 1760 as a convent for nuns. It is rumoured that after one of the nuns became pregnant, she killed herself and the sisters bricked her body behind a wall. A body was discovered behind a wall in the 1940s and the nun is said to haunt the building.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

NEW BLOG 8 St. John's Square Mabel Hepzibah Cowlin & Helen Coleridge Davis. Here is the latest blog from the St. John's Square, Wakefield #OnePlaceStudy This is about Mabel Cowlin who lived at 8 St. John's Square for a short period. /1 www.ancestralenquiries.co.uk/post/8-st-jo...

submitted 13 days ago • 3 comments

Nicknamed “The Demon Barber of Bedminster”, Charles Stephens was a Bristolian barber who entertained Bristol with thrilling stunts. In 1920 he became the first British person to go over Niagra Falls in a barrel. He didn’t survive this stunt and only an arm was ever found of him.

submitted 13 days ago • 1 comment

From 1992-2017 this building on West St, Old Market was the site of the Aled Richards Trust (as well as the Terrence Higgins Trust). When they were founded, these trusts were among the only places in the city where people living with HIV/AIDS could find resources and support. 1/2

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

In 1842, journalist Charles Southwell (1814-1860) was imprisoned at Bristol New Gaol for blasphemy. Southwell was the editor of the Bristol-based “Oracle of Reason” - possibly the world’s first atheistic journal. He was the first of three of the journal’s editors to be jailed for blasphemy.

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

Five years ago today Master Reginald was given free roam to explore our deserted city centre. It was a magical, haunting evening. Whenever I think back to those surreal times I am reminded of the oppressive sense of hopeless doom - punctuated by these brief moments of tranquil, melancholic bliss.

submitted 15 days ago • 2 comments

In 1872 a train track connecting the Bristol Docks to Temple Meads was completed. The line had to weave around busy streets before passing under the grounds of St Mary Redcliffe. Almost all of the bodies buried here were exhumed and re-buried in the graveyard across the road from Arnos Vale Cemetery

submitted 16 days ago • 2 comments

WHERE AM I WEDNESDAY

submitted 16 days ago • 5 comments

‪This ramp leading from Phoenix Wharf to Redcliffe Parade has been colloquially known as “Donkey Walk” for centuries. The name derives from it being the route donkeys would be taken when leaving the harbour, pulling carts laden with goods taken from ships.‬

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

‪This ramp leading from Phoenix Wharf to Redcliffe Parade has been colloquially known as “Donkey Walk” for centuries. The name derives from it being the route donkeys would be taken when leaving the harbour, pulling carts laden with goods taken from ships.‬

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Available now from @titanbooks.bsky.social and all good book vendors

submitted 17 days ago • 8 comments

Gordon Welchman OBE (1906-1985) was born in Fishponds and from a young age excelled in mathematics and cyphers. During WWII, he was selected to go to Bletchley Park, where he became one of the key figures in decoding the Enigma Machine - thus helping end the war.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

Behind this statue in the Angel Inn (Long Ashton, just outside the Bristol border) is the entrance to underground cells which were used to hold suspected criminals ahead of their trials. The Angel Inn served the dual purpose of a pub and magistrates courts until the 1790s.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

This is the view that Brunel would have seen in 1836 when the towers of the #CliftonSuspensionBridge were being constructed 🎩

submitted 36 days ago • 0 comments

‪In 1964 landscape architect Dame Sylvia Crowe designed a park around Cumberland Basin, featuring natural spaces alongside the concrete of the elevated roads. It was initially popular but eventually succumbed to neglect and has now been largely forgotten.‬

submitted 20 days ago • 1 comment