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VICTORIANBRISTOL A guide to Victorian buildings in the city

www.brunel200.com

WALKING GUIDE

Brunel 200: Victorian Bristol 3

2006 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth ofIsambard Kingdom Brunel, one of the most versatile,audacious and inspirational engineers of thenineteenth century.

Brunel 200 celebrates Brunel’s life,times and legacy with exhibitions,learning programmes, publications,walks and trails, heritage and artsprojects, competitions, debates,media programmes and talks inBristol, the South West and beyond.

Bristol is home to some of Brunel’sfinest work including the originalGreat Western Railway terminus atTemple Meads (now home to theBritish Empire and CommonwealthMuseum), the Clifton SuspensionBridge and the iron steamship ssGreat Britain.

Victorian Bristol is one of a series ofthree guides to Bristol produced aspart of the Brunel 200 programme.The other guides in the series are:

• Brunel's Dockside

• Brunel’s Clifton

The guides are linked to the BristolLegible City (BLC) way-findinginformation system, which includeswalking maps and on-street signagedesigned to improve people’sunderstanding and experience ofthe city. The BLC walking maps are free of charge and are widelyavailable across the city. They canbe found at tourist informationcentres, visitor attractions, libraries,hotel receptions, travel arrivalpoints and many other sites.

See www.brunel200.com for full details of the Brunel 200programme.

Enjoy your exploration ofVictorian Bristol!

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During Victoria’s reign the citywould go on to see the completionof Brunel’s Great Western Railwayand its associated rail routes acrossthe South West, the launch ofBrunel’s propeller-driven, steam-powered iron ship the ss GreatBritain and, following Brunel’sdeath in 1859, the completion of his magnificent Clifton SuspensionBridge, built as a tribute to him byhis fellow engineers.

The guideThis leaflet provides a guide tosome of the architecture ofnineteenth-century Bristol that has survived into the twenty-firstcentury. Although much dates from the late-Victorian period andtherefore after Brunel’s death, it also includes buildings that hewould have seen during his time in

the city. The guide does notdescribe a particular route butfocuses on the city centre districtsof Temple, Old City, West End andSt Michael’s Hill, all of which aremarked on the BLC map.

The number 8 and 9 bus services,operated by First, run frequentlybetween Bristol Temple Meadsstation and the city centre and onto Clifton. Their routes are alsomarked on the BLC map along withsome of the stops for the BristolCity Sightseeing open-top tour bus,which is in operation from Easter to September.

See www.bristolvisitor.co.uk for the open-top timetable.

Victorian BristolQueen Victoria ascended to the British throne in 1837,the year that saw the launching in Bristol of Brunel’sinnovative transatlantic steamship the ss Great Western.

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1 The ss Great Western (private collection).2 The ss Great Britain (ss Great Britain Trust,photograph by Mandy Reynolds).

Brunel 200: Victorian Bristol 7

thought to be the first true railwayterminus, with trains and people all inhabiting the same integratedspace beneath a single roof. Thebooking hall was at ground leveland passengers reached theplatforms by climbing an internalstaircase to the first floor, the trackcoming in 15 feet above groundlevel on brick vaults. A beautifulhammer-beam roof spans the 72 feet of what was once thepassenger shed and is now used for conferences and exhibitions. The beams are largely decorative asmost of the roof’s weight is actuallysupported by the iron columnsalong the aisles. One wing of the

Bristol architects Many of the most impressivebuildings built or adapted in Bristolduring the Victorian period werethe products of well-regarded,locally based architectural practicessuch as the Paty family, Foster &Wood, W B Gingell and Henry Crisp.Architects of the day drew upon anumber of stylistic revivals ratherthan developing a modern style for the modern age. The mostpopular of these were the classicaland the Gothic.

The classical revival drew itsinspiration from the elegant stonebuildings of ancient Greece (480-323 BC) and to those of the ancientRomans who had added domes,barrel vaults, arches and brickworkto the traditional Greek style.Classicism had become fashionableagain during the eighteenth centuryand continued to be popular intothe nineteenth. Buildings included

porches supported by subtly curvedcolumns, some topped with capitalscarved in the form of a curled scrollor acanthus leaves. Further carvingcould be found in decorativefriezes, cornices and pediments. The Gothic revival was in part areaction against classicism andharked back to the pointed archesand vaulted stone ceilings first seen in twelfth-century churcharchitecture.

However, construction methods,and the processing and distributionof materials had all advanced withthe Industrial Revolution andVictorian architects and engineers

THEWALK 3

were experimenting in the mosteffective and creative ways of usingiron, steel, glass, masonry and brick.

Temple Meads Stationand Victoria StreetIt is fitting to begin the guide toVictorian Bristol at the originalGreat Western Railway (GWR)station at Temple Gate (BLC mapreference P6). This was designed byBrunel and has an impressive three-storey entrance in Bath stone in ahybrid revival style reminiscent of a Tudor mansion. It was completedin 1841, the year that the London-Bristol route was opened, and is

3 Exterior of Bristol station showing the now-lost right-hand portal. Traffic originally enteredthe site via the left-hand portal then passedunder the line to exit by the right (Bristol’sMuseums, Galleries and Archives).4 The passenger shed at Bristol station,illustrated by J C Bourne, published 1846(Bristol’s Museums, Galleries and Archives). 4

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station façade was removed in 1878to make room for an approach road.

Brunel’s GWR station ceased to beused as a rail terminus in 1965. It isnow home to the British Empire andCommonwealth Museum, whichoffers pre-booked guided tours ofthe site that includes access to thepassenger shed, the cavernousvaults and the mock-Gothicgrandeur of the GWR Boardroom(see www.empiremuseum.co.uk/exhibitions/bruneltours.htmfor details).

On your way towards Temple Circusyou will pass two old and currentlydisused railway station hotels: The Grosvenor (1875, S C Fripp)and the George Railway Hotel(c 1870). Victoria Street will leadyou through Temple and on acrossthe Bristol Bridge to the Old City. It was completed around 1872. It was badly bombed during WorldWar Two but some original sectionsremain including the row ofbuildings between Counterslip andBath Street (shown as a short cul de sac on the map). Walking downCounterslip you can see the formerTramways Generating Stationdesigned by W Curtis Green (1899),which is built in a mixture of redbrick and Bath stone. On the curvedcorner of Bath Street is the formerTalbot Hotel (c 1873), which has anattractive arched entrance, multi-coloured brickwork and a conicalroof topped by a weather vane.

Old CityMany of Bristol’s eighteenth andnineteenth-century commercial andlegal offices were clustered alongCorn Street (BLC map reference M4).Today the area is known more forits nightlife as a number of thebuildings have been converted into

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5 Temple Meads station, designed by DigbyWyatt (photograph by Ian Blantern).6 The Grosvenor (photograph by Ian Blantern).

On the opposite side of the stationapproach road are some Jacobean-style offices originally built for theBristol & Exeter Railway anddesigned by S C Fripp (completed1852). Work on the present BristolTemple Meads station, at the topof the approach road, began in1865 and was completed in 1878.This was conceived as a jointstation to serve the Bristol & Exeterand Midland Railway companies. Its architect was Brunel’s colleague, Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt, who hadco-designed Paddington station.The arched iron roof was designedby Francis Fox, whose father,

Sir Charles Fox, had constructed the roof at Paddington and wasalso involved in construction of theCrystal Palace. The station has aneo-Gothic exterior in pink stonewith Bath stone dressings and ared-brick interior. The chocolateand brown extension to the east of the site dates from the 1930s.

The guide Brunel’s Dockside willlead you west of the British Empireand Commonwealth Museum for awalk that includes the areas ofRedcliffe, Harbourside and SpikeIsland. For now, turn right onTemple Gate, walking in front of the museum, and cross the road at the pedestrian crossing byTemple Circus, heading towards theNovotel Bristol Centre on the cornerof Victoria Street (BLC mapreference P6).

commercial building on this street is the NatWest Bank, which wasformerly the Liverpool, London andGlobe Insurance building. It wasdesigned by W B Gingell (1864) and its decorative details includecaryatids (columns sculptured intofemale forms), firemen carryingaxes and helmets, and the figure of Time holding an hour-glass.

Opposite Lloyds Bank is theExchange. This was originally ameeting place for merchants,designed by John Wood the Elder in the eighteenth century, and wasconverted into a corn exchange in1872. The clock was first installedin 1822 and later given two minute-hands, which can still be seen.


restaurants and clubs. Lloyds Bank,near to the Old Council House, wasdesigned by W B Gingell and T RLysaght and built between 1854and 1857 in an extravagantVenetian style in Bath and Portlandstone. It was originally the West ofEngland and South Wales DistrictBank. The beautifully sculpturedfrieze on its façade is by John EvanThomas who worked on the Housesof Parliament. On the ground flourthe sculptures depict the five maintowns where the bank did business:Newport, Bath, Bristol, Exeter andCardiff. On the first floor are femalefigures representing Peace, Plenty,Justice, Integrity and otherelements conducive to makingmoney. Another impressive

One hand shows the old Bristoltime, which, with the coming ofBrunel’s railway and the need tosynchronise train schedules, wasadjusted to London time, indicatedby other hand, just over tenminutes ahead.

Corn Street leads up to BroadStreet. At 13-14 Broad Street is theformer Bank of England branchbuilding designed by Charles RCockerell (completed 1847). It hasfluted columns and unadornedcapitals in the Greek Doric style.Cockerell was the Bank of England’s

official architect and at the sametime as he was working on theBristol project he had also beencommissioned to design branchesfor Liverpool and Manchester. On the other side of the street isthe former Grand Hotel, now theThistle Bristol Hotel. It wasdesigned by Foster & Wood andcompleted in 1869. It has an ItalianRenaissance design reminiscent ofthe buildings of Venice. The groundfloor – which was originallyoccupied by shops – projects out to the street while the rest of thebuilding stands back. A little furtherdown Broad Street on the opposite8

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7 Lloyds Bank on Corn Street (photograph by Ian Blantern).8 The Exchange clock (photograph by Ian Blantern).9 The former Grand Hotel, now the Thistle(photograph by Ian Blantern).

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depicted in the mural are theprinters Gutenberg and WilliamMorris, the Spirit of Literature and a woman holding up a lamp and amirror to represent Light and Truth.The mural is made from Carrara-Ware marble tiles and was designedby W J Neatby who worked forDoulton & Co. Edward Everarddesigned the typeface in which hisname is written and the buildingitself was designed by HenryWilliams.

Behind the Exchange on Corn Streetlie St Nicholas Markets and StNicholas Street. Here can be foundthe stone-fronted St NicholasChambers (Ponton and Gough,1866) decorated with carveddragons, the Elephant pub (HenryMasters, 1867), the Gothic GreshamChambers (Ponton and Gough,1868) with its sculpted heads, andthe remains of the cast-iron QueenVictoria Fountain (1859). Also on St Nicholas Street is the former FishMarket (1873) by Pope and Son,which has an extension on BaldwinStreet that was built in 1897.

and originally would have beenset close to the water’s edge, asits name suggests. It was built forthe breakaway Catholic ApostolicChurch founded by the Scottishevangelist Edward Irving but isnow a Roman Catholic church.

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10 The Edward Everard printing works(photograph by Ian Blantern).11 The Old Fish Market (photograph byIan Blantern).12 St Mary-on-the-Quay (photograph byIan Blantern).

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side of the road is the formerGuildhall, completed in 1846, whichwas designed in the Gothic style by Richard Shackleton Pope. Thesculptures of leading Bristolians onthe front are by John Evan Thomas.

At the bottom of Broad Street is abeautiful Art Nouveau building from1900-01 belonging to the formerEdward Everard printing works. Art Nouveau was characterised bythe use of flamboyant curves andflowing lines, taking its inspirationfrom nature but using manmadematerials. The figures you can see

The red-and-yellow-bricked Old FishMarket pub at 59-63 Baldwin Streetis housed in the former Bigwood’sfish merchants (1894) and wasdesigned by W B Gingell.

To the west, Baldwin Street leads in to Colston Avenue. This road wasformed in 1892 when the northernsection of St Augustine’s Reach – a man-made channel dug in thethirteenth century to divert theRiver Frome – was filled in. One of the first Bristol churches to becompleted during the Victorianperiod was St Mary-on-the-Quayon Colston Avenue, built in 1839and designed by Richard ShackletonPope. It resembles a Greek temple


As befits a major trading port, thereare a number of grand structuresbuilt to store merchandise along the quays of the Floating Harbour.Among the most exotic is TheGranary (1869), on Welsh Back offthe eastern end of Baldwin Streetnear the Premier Travel Inn (BLCmap reference M5). This wasdesigned by Ponton and Gough. It is ten storeys high with adifferent window treatment foreach floor, a battlemented roof,and multicoloured brick and stone.The railways made thetransportation of building materialsmuch easier, allowing for morevariety in colour as supplies were

Reach (BLC map reference K5). A more detailed description of theHarbourside area of the city can befound in Brunel’s Dockside guide.

St Michael’s Hill andWest EndCrossing to the other side of the citycentre, at the junction of Queen’sRoad and Whiteladies Road standthe impressive Victoria Rooms,originally a public hall and politicalmeeting-place and now owned bythe University of Bristol (BLC map

reference F3). The building wasdesigned by Charles Dyer andcompleted in 1842 in a monumental,neo-Corinthian style (the mostornate classical form) with a giantportico and a pediment decoratedwith Minerva in a chariot driven byApollo. Opposite is the Royal Westof England Academy designed by John Henry Hirst and CharlesUnderwood with an Italianatecolonnaded façade. It wascompleted in 1857. Walking downQueen’s Road, back in the directionof the waterfront, you will pass a

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13 The Granary at Welsh Back (photographby Ian Blantern).14 Severnshed restaurant (photograph byIan Blantern).

sourced from different parts of thecountry. The Granary is one of thebest remaining examples of BristolByzantine, a style that combinedelements of Gothic, Moorish, NorthItalian and Venetian design. A variation on this style can be seenin Colston Hall on Colston Streetdesigned by Foster & Wood andcompleted in 1873 (BLC mapreference K4). You can see other fineVictorian warehouses overlookingthe Floating Harbour at Welsh Back,many of which have now beenconverted into apartments.

More modest waterfront Victorianstructures include what is thoughtto be Bristol’s earliest transit shed,now the Severnshed restaurant, onThe Grove near Redcliffe Bridge(BLC map reference K6). Builtaround 1865, this is an iron-framedbuilding that would originally havebeen open-ended to allow the swiftunloading of goods headed for thewarehouses or for transportation.Later iron-framed transit shedsinclude the 1894 building designedby Edward Gabriel that has beenconverted to house the WatershedMedia Centre on St Augustine’s

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number of shops dating from theVictorian period, a few of whichretain their original frontage.

The restored façade of the formerCity Museum and Library on thecorner of University Road andQueen’s Road was inspired by theDoge’s Palace in Venice. It wasdesigned by John Foster andArchibald Ponton (1866). Theoriginal structure was destroyedduring the blitz and the façadefronts a post-war building whichnow houses Browns restaurant.Next to this is the Bristol's Museumand Art Gallery (1899-1904) built inPortland stone in a Baroque design


by Sir Frank Wills (BLC mapreference G3). Baroque was thename given to a seventeenth-century style derived fromtraditional classicism that usedextravagant curves and shapes, and rich materials.

Taking a detour up University Roadyou will pass the former museum’slecture theatre (Stuart Colman1874), the Eastern Orthodox Church(Henry Rising, 1888) and the end ofElmdale Road where there is a rowof Gothic villas from 1883. At thetop of University Road is BristolGrammar School. Founded in 1532it moved to this location in the

From Bristol Grammar School,returning to Queen’s Road, cross to Berkeley Square and follow thepaths to Brandon Hill and CabotTower (BLC map reference G4). The tower was completed in 1898to commemorate the 1497 voyagefrom Bristol to Newfoundland of the Genoese explorer and merchantJohn Cabot. The tower wasdesigned by William Venn Goughwho took his inspiration from a

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15 Victoria Rooms (photograph by Ian Blantern).16 Browns, the former City Museum and Library(photograph by Ian Blantern).17 Cabot’s Tower on Brandon Hill (photographby Ian Blantern).

1870s. The Great Hall was designed by Foster & Wood. The walls are of local red rubblewith stone dressings. If you get theopportunity to head out towardsthe Clifton Downs, you will seeanother impressive school buildingfrom the same period. Clifton HighSchool on Clifton Park Road wasdesigned by Stuart Colman andopened in 1875 (BLC map referenceC2). It is in red brick and an earlyexample in Bristol of Queen Annearchitecture, a slightly fanciful andflamboyant style of the later-Victorian period. There are anumber of beautiful Victorian villas,terraces and semi-detached housesin Clifton, particularly around ThePromenade, and it is an area wellworth exploring. See Brunel’sClifton for a circular work aroundthe village and out to the CliftonSuspension Bridge.


tower in the Loire dating from thetime of Cabot’s journey. The climbup the narrow internal staircase willreward you with magnificent viewsacross the city and beyond.

From Brandon Hill you can walkdown to St George’s Road viaBrandon Steep. On the corner, atthe back of the Council House, youwill find Brunel House designed byBrunel in consultation with RichardShackleton Pope (BLC mapreference H5). The building wascompleted in 1839 and has beenmuch altered since then but it

retains its impressive four-storeyGreek revival façade, a style usedby Pope at St-Mary-on-the-Quay.Brunel House was originally theRoyal Western Hotel, which wasplanned as a stopping off point onthe transatlantic route that linkedPaddington station to New York via Bristol. It became a Turkish bathin 1855.

Follow St George’s Road to ParkStreet and walk down towardsCollege Green and you will pass the former Royal Hotel – now theBristol Marriott Royal Hotel

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(BLC map reference H5). It is built in limestone in the Italianate styleand was designed by W H Hawtin in 1864. The statue of QueenVictoria in the turning circle outsideis by Joseph Boehm. It dates from1888 and commemorates thequeen’s 1887 Golden Jubilee. The extension to the east of the sitewas built during renovations in theearly 1990s.

You have now had a glimpse ofsome of the Victorian architecturein Bristol’s city centre. From CollegeGreen you can catch the number 8bus to Clifton and the suggested

18 Brunel House, the former Royal WesternHotel (photograph by Ian Blantern).19 Queen Victoria’s statue by College Green(photograph by Ian Blantern).

starting point of Brunel’s Clifton, a walk lasting approximately oneand half hours. Alternatively youcan walk down to Pero’s Bridge on the waterfront and pick up theroute of Brunel’s Dockside. You willsee more Victorian buildings onthese tours along with many othersites of interest.

We hope you enjoy exploringBristol.18


Timeline of Brunel in Victorian Bristol

Year

1837

Brunel in Bristol

Launch of hull of the Great Westernin Bristol (19 July). Work begins onRoyal Western Hotel.

Other events in Bristol

New Custom House opens. Electionof Hon F H F Berkeley MP (Lib) whocampaigned for a secret ballot (heldseat til death in 1870). William Westopens Giant’s Cave passage.

1838

Great Western crosses the Atlanticin 15 days from Avonmouth to NewYork (April). Work begins on TempleMeads. Brunel answers criticisms ofbroad gauge. Isambard III born.

Great Western Cotton Works mill in operation. Foundation stone ofVictoria Rooms laid.

1839

Great Western Steamship Companybuilds the new Great WesternDockyard and Engine Factory.Construction begins on GreatBritain. Royal Western Hotel opens.

St Mary-on-the-Quay completed.Foundation stone for ChattertonMemorial laid.

1840Great Britain’s hull redesigned forscrew propeller. Opening of GWRline from Bristol to Bath (31 Aug).

Bristol Cathedral reopened afterrestoration. Hall of Science opens inBroadmead.

1841

Bristol Temple Meads stationcompleted. Full London-Bristol routeopened (30 June). Consulted byMerchant Venturers on CliftonWater Works scheme.

Christ Church Clifton consecrated.Amalgamation of Fripp & Fry andThomas soap companies.

1842

Opening of Bristol to Taunton sectionof Bristol & Exeter Railway (1 July).Urges new measures to overcomesilting of Floating Harbour.

Victoria Rooms completed. Majorexhibition at the MechanicsInstitute.

Year

1845

Brunel in Bristol

Maiden voyage of Great Britain.Work begins on new lock at Southentrance of Bristol Docks.

Other events in Bristol

Athenaeum and Bristol StockExchange founded. Death of Bristolartist W J Müller.

1847 Great Western Steamship Companybankrupted.

Bank of England building in CornStreet completed. Bristol CountyCourt established. Jenny Lind singsin the city.

1849New lock completed at CumberlandBasin, spanned by tubular swingbridge.

New Exchange market completed.Cholera epidemic.

1855 World’s first postal train runs alongthe London-Bristol route.

Iron bridge crossing the Avon nearrail terminus destroyed by steambarge. Bristol Agricultural Societydissolved.

1863Temporary Clifton bridge withpartially laid planking first crossedon 3 July.

Bill for constructing dock nearmouth of Avon rejected inParliament. Butler & Co (tardistillers) founded.

1864 Opening of Clifton SuspensionBridge (8 Dec).

Avonmouth pier built for railwayconnection to Hotwells. Typhusepidemic and summer drought.Launch of Royal Sovereign, thelargest iron sailing ship built in port to date.

1843 Launch of Great Britain at Bristol (19 July).

Foundation stone of new Guildhalllaid. Founding of Crew’s Hole tarand creosote works. Stage coachesbetween Bristol and Londonwithdrawn (reinstated 1849).

Brunel 200 is a partnership initiative initiated and managed by the Bristol Cultural DevelopmentPartnership (BCDP – Arts Council England South West, Bristol City Council, Business West). SouthWest activities are being developed in partnership with Culture South West. Brunel 200 is part ofScience City Bristol.

Details of other supporters are on the Acknowledgements page of the websitewww.brunel200.com

Text by Melanie Kelly. With thanks to Marion Giles, Mark Pearson and Gillian Fearnyough for theirhelp in compiling this guide. Additional material taken from Andrew Foyle’s Bristol published by Yale University Press in the Pevsner Architectural Guides series (New York and London, 2004).

Cover image credit: British Empire and Commonwealth Museum photograph by Ian Blantern.Designed by: Qube Design Associates LtdPrinted by: Doveton Press


Major funders:

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A guide to Victorian buildings in the city

The Bristol Legible City walking m

aps are free of charge and are widely available across the city.

They can be found at tourist information centres, visitor attractions, libraries, hotel receptions,

travel arrival points and many other sites. The areas covered by this guide are m

arked here inorange on this scaled-dow

n version of the map.

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