Bristol Harbour Heritage Trail Bristol’s Floating Harbour was built at the The Harbour complex also contains three miles of man- beginning of the 19th century and opened on 1 May 1809. made waterways – the New Cut and the Feeder Canal. The The famous canal engineer William Jessop devised a former provided a tidal bypass for smaller vessels to enter scheme that impounded 83 acres of the tidal river Avon, or leave the Harbour further inland, at Bathurst or meaning that for the first time ships in the port of Bristol Totterdown locks. This delivered the barges and small could stay afloat at all times – hence the (to modern ears) sailing vessels closer to the parts of the Harbour they curious name. wanted to use. The Feeder provided both a supply of fresh water to maintain the level of the Harbour and a route for For centuries, ships visiting Bristol had used the strong tidal inland waterways craft to rejoin the river Avon above the current to carry them the six miles between the city and weir at Netham, on which they could journey to Bath and the mouth of the river Avon. Careful navigation was needed later in the century to London. to ensure that they reached their destination before the tide ebbed, forcing the ships to go aground at whatever point The Harbour officially ceased to be part of the commercial they had reached. The quaysides couldn’t accommodate Port of Bristol in 1975 and has since been the scene of many ships and by the late 1700s lots more ships wanted extensive regeneration. The extent of it – nearly eight miles to visit than could be fitted in. of water across three miles of the city – makes for a tremendously varied landscape. This booklet describes The Floating Harbour allowed the city’s merchants to several trails that walkers and cyclists can follow alongside continue trading from their long-established warehouses all of these waterways. We encourage you to explore for on Narrow and Broad Quays, the Grove and the Backs. At yourselves the byways and mysteries that this unique the same time, it inadvertently allowed masses of room for feature of Bristol offers. port expansion over the next 150 years. Jessop didn’t intend this, but by placing the entrance locks at Hotwells, as far up the river as anyone believed a ship could safely travel on one tide, he impounded far more of the river than was needed for trade at the time. 1 University of Easton Leisure UGH STREE Bristol Library O T B40 Centre 51 Westbourne R O Bus/Coach Clifton Sports B St Nicholas Hotel L St James School R CLIFTON Station Church Centre Cathedral (RC) A Barton R.C. Primary St Michaels St Nicholas of M University of Bristol School Clifton Senate House Hospital Travel Torentino T Hotel Victoria S Church Inn Metro Bristol N Rooms I L Church Church Royal D Library H U Infirmary A St James T Bristol Eye U The Trinity M RWA Art Dental Park O Christ Grammar Childrens R John Wesleys S Hospital Centre E Gallery School Hospital T P Chapel Church Hospital E P E U R T St Michael’s Church S Quakers D Students Church N Friars Union O Central St Matthias Observatory & B School Police Station Park Camera Obscura Hotel The Mall School D University Magistrates A Galleries University O Cinema R Court Observatory Y Hill R R E P E Hotel Museum & C A Church The Arcade L P Y Art Gallery P A Castle Park E R L K Victoria E R Hotel K O Hotel W St Mary R B Square E 4 0 51 Guildhall St. Peters B on the Church Berkeley Red Lodge Church Hosp Colston Quay Ambulance Square Hall Register Ice Rink Station QEH University Office Bristol United School Church Press Crown Court Clifton Library Corn Street Chesterfield Central Clinic Markets St Georges Hospital Bishops St Stephen’s Bristol St Philip Bridge Cabot Tower House Church J Avon Gorge A Bristol Bridge Lead Shot C Hotel O Hippodrome CENTRE Tower B Hannah More S Primary School W Avon Wildlife Lord Fire Brunel House E Centre R L Brandon Mayors Station i L Goldney S v St Thomas Chapel e R Hill Hall Council House Temple Bridge r O the Martyr A D A Bristol Church B v 4 College Old Vic o 4 Temple 6 n 6 Green Hotel Theatre Church St Georges Hotel Cathedral Primary School Central Dance Watershed City Inn Library Cathedral Y I Media R B H CentreCentre O R P A N E Hotel CH E CL AMBRA A AP D School N E A CentreCentre R L OW AR RO H E A E S I V ’ G L D L E L U M A RG L N O A B E E Q S R G V O A E A ST U A V S T A ST L H LE Travelravel Lodge A REET Holiday Inn R City of Bristol H AMB T UARE Along the Harbour - R H O OSE T B R S Y O 4 Q W A ARGY C A B D LE P Hotel OR ROAD ExploreExplore R M ANCHOR Hotel E S L ANCH L CollegeCollege TEMPLE L A U CE Queen O R SQ R H Prince Street to Cumberland Basin O N C @ Bristol I JOY HILL A C C D EEN S R CL A Square IF P T U ONW N O Q OD O Hotel T E RR N ACE K Hotel Ibis 4 L A S QUAY A AD W MILLENIUM C W PeroPero’s O A QU U R L SQUARE E TEMPLE M O Y A L B LD FI L R E E E R L BridgeBridge L D W D CIRCUS A R OT E OA S H N D H D T The MatthewMatthew 16 T A N C A ss Great Britain H Arnolfini Redcliffe C Temple R 5 Bridge E Plimsoll BAS Baltic Meads 15 IN ROAD M H 13 Wharf AR Prince StreetStreet BridgeBridge BO Thekla UR LloydsLloyds TSB Station S W Quakers Marina ID H 4 E W BridgeBridge A A A St Mary N L 14 Cumberland K P Burial Ground Holiday Inn P O MERCH 8 I AN V AmphitheatreAmphitheatre 7 Maritime 12 N Redcliffe Hotel E Footbridge R F G Basin Brunel LockLock lo P Museum D a LA ti R n O CE g 1 ROA AD H C E 11 S a O M Y r L b C R o ARDY u FootbridgeFootbridge D R 6 r Hotel Bath S N M Shed A MEA L FE Avonvon 10 ER T M K S Bridge ON E W A 3 Bristol U Y C A RO G R W F ERRY BridgeBridge O YDNEY 2 A A S D AD Museum N SpikeSpike Island CA UnderfallUnderfall CaravanCaravan Bristol Record Office ArtspaceArtspace Bathurst ROAD YardYard ParkPark EFLE CL LAND B & Create Centre 9 G CUMBER Basin STREET B General R U CUM Hospital B N E D FootbridgeFootbridge Ri RLA A v N E e D O ERCIAL R r RO COMM ROA L C LAN D Avo AD D U R 0 E St Mary Redcliffe MB A37 n D W A FootbridgeFootbridge ON RO ONATI & Temple School A COR C Y A Allotment Gardens M AL FootbridgeFootbridge LINGTON P ROAD ROAD Footbridge PARK D CO E RO N NAT Garden Centre ION ROAD A370 Bedminster Zion House Bridge R OAD ON GRE BEISLINGT ChurchChurch EN H BA A AD SOUTHV IG NK U AD RO ILL E R OA D E L O LUCKY LANE L EY ROAD R RY E ER S N P TRE R R E H BO PE T OW SO P A U R U SOUTHVILLE S Library Southville RNIB Centre Asda Greville Cricket Southville Smyth Ashton Gate Holy Cross Holy Cross Pitch Primary School Park Primary School RC Church Totterdown School Bridge Dame Emily Arena One The Tobacco Play Park Superbowl Factory Bristol BRUNEL WAY South Pool Allotment Gardens Windmill Hill City Farm St Mary Redcliffe C of E Primary School Victoria Federation of City Farms Bedminster Park Bristol City & Community Gardens F. C. Church Cemetery ACTA Allotments Along the Harbour - Prince Street Bridge to It was the last wharf to operate commercially when the 3 The steam crane marks the start of Wapping Railway 6 On the left are the former main offices and studios of Cumberland Basin Harbour closed in 1975. The transit sheds then became Wharf. From the 1870s, this was open quayside with Aardman Animations, the Bristol-based company that the home of Bristol Industrial Museum and now the railway sidings where The Point residential has produced the Wallace and Gromit series of films Starting on the south (Wapping Road) new Museum of Bristol in M-Shed. The Museum development now stands. Brunel’s Buttery has a and the Oscar-winning Chicken Run. It was built in the side of Prince Street swing Bridge, service looks after the cranes and three historic citywide reputation for its bacon sandwiches! 1980s as a banana-ripening warehouse for Fyffe’s. vessels (the tugs Mayflower and John King and the fire Aardman’s later purpose-built offices and studios, travel westwards in front of L and M 4 At the end of Wapping Wharf is the Bristol Packet, from Sheds, the home of the new Museum boat Pyronaut) and operates a steam railway. where you can take a tour of the Harbour or, when the completed in 2008, are further along the road on the left.