Bristol’s architecture

Bristol is a city with a smorgasbord of architectural styles. The city’s groaning architectural banquet ranges from the medieval to the Brutalism of the 20th century with most things beyond and between. There’s enough dishes here to sate the most avid architectural appetite.

Unique to the city is a style known as Bristol Byzantine–several examples of which have survived. Notable buildings in this style include the Colston Hall, Brown’s restaurant, the Wool Hall and Gardiners warehouse.

If is your thing then there’s a Bristol buffet of Corinthian columns, pedimented doorways, stone window arches and sash windows to pick from. The Clifton area of Bristol features a great deal of Georgian architecture.

As is demonstrated in this blog, Sion Hill, overlooking the Clifton Suspension Bridge features some typical Georgian houses. Royal York Crescent is a late Georgian development. Down in the city a very grand example of a Georgian House is 29 Queen Square while Queen’s Parade features smaller and simpler houses.

When it comes to though Bristol appears to be lacking in flavour. As this article from the Architect’s Journal points out ‘Bristol does not have a reputation for great buildings. While Pevsner described Bristol as a city that ‘reveals its charms slowly’, Elena Marco, associate head of architecture at the UWE, describes it as an ‘attractive city’ with ‘no real wow architecture’.

If you want to know more about the architecture of Bristol and how Bristolians used to live there’s at least two fascinating ways of doing so.

Every year Bristol celebrates the architecture and culture of the city with its Bristol Open Doors day. This is your chance to explore for free when over sixty of Bristol’s buildings from the historic to the contemporary open their doors and allow access to places that are usually closed or charge admission. It’s a great opportunity to discover the city’s architectural treasures.

However if you don’t want to wait for one September Saturday to see some of the buildings that take part in Bristol opening doors day there’s an architecture walking trail. You can be a traditionalist and print off a leaflet or you can go all 21st century and get a smartphone app via the Bristol opening doors website.

Bristol’s M-Shed has to be worth a visit to experience all aspects of Bristol’s story not just its architecture. The Bristol places gallery at the M-Shed ‘focuses on the physical and dynamic city – the ways that people have shaped and experienced it and continue to do so. ‘ This gallery features many aspects of Bristol life ranging from Bristol in WWII to the city’s transportation and the changes to the homes and places Bristolians have lived and worked in over the years.

But if that’s Bristol’s architectural past then what about its future? Well, also worth a visit is Bristol’s Architecture Centre - championing better places and buildings for people to live and work in.

Aside from these architectural tapas individual dishes can be sampled in detail.

Built in 1925, the Neo-Gothic Wills Memorial Building on Park Street houses Bristol’s university’s School of Law and Earth Sciences. It’s Tower tour is worth the climb for the spectacular views it affords when you breathlessly get to the top.

Come right down to earth in the area of Hotwells where there’s a variety of notable architecture that includes the Church of the Holy Trinity, Albermarle Row–a Georgian terrace and the Pump House–the one-time power plant for the bridges of and now a public house. Opposite the Pump House is a delightful row of fisherman’s cottages dating from 1831.

Links for info only http://www.architecturecentre.co.uk http://www.architecfrom 1831. turecentre.co.uk/events-bristol-doors-open-day http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/bristol-a-city-with-self-belief-and- swagger/8652422.article http://bristolopeningdoors.org/#