Museums, archives and heritage in Bristol

Bristol, city, municipal and parliamentary borough, seaport, and county of itself, chiefly in Gloucestershire but partly in Somerset, at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Frome, 6 miles from the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth and 120 miles W. of London by rail, the port being 29 miles from Cardiff, 70 from Swansea. 245 from Dublin, 255 from Cork, and 325 from Liverpool; municipal borough, 4632 acres, population 206,874; parliamentary borough, population 253,906. Bristol is built on a number of eminences, and has a fine appearance. It contains important institutions, religious, educational, and charitable. It has several fine churches, notably the Cathedral (1142-1160), and the church of St Mary Redcliffe. It includes the suburbs of Clifton, Redland, and Cotham. At Clifton Down a magnificent suspension bridge spans the river Avon, having an elevation of 245 ft. above high-water mark. From an early date Bristol has been a sealport of great importance, its position being very favourable to commerce. In the reign of Henry II. it carried on trade with the N. of Europe, and between 1239 and 1247 there was occasion for enlarging and improving the accommodation for the shipping. There are now extensive docks, not only within the city itself, but also at Avonmouth on the N. side of the mouth of the river, and at Portishead on the S. side; both these harbours being in direct communication with the city by railway. The coasting trade is of great magnitude, steamers plying regularly between Bristol and Cardiff, Swansea, London, Cork, Dublin, Liverpool, and Glasgow; while the foreign trade extends to nearly all parts of the world. Bristol has manufacturers of glass, soap, and earthenware; shipbuilding, tanning, and sugar-refining; and extensive chemical and engineering works.

– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)

Acton Court

Latteridge Road, Iron Acton

Bristol BS37 9TL

01454 228 224

www.actoncourt.com

A beautifully conserved Tudor House built by Nicholas Poyntz for the pleasure of Henry VIII, at Iron Acton, Bristol.

Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust

West Lodge, Bath Road

Bristol BS4 3EW

0117 9719117

www.arnosvale.org.uk

Arnos Vale Cemetery is one of the earliest and most important working Victorian cemeteries in the UK.

Avon Valley Railway

Bitton Station, Bath Road, Bitton

Bristol BS30 6HD

0117 932 5538

www.avonvalleyrailway.org

The Avon Valley Railway is more than just a train ride, offering a whole new experience for some or a nostalgic memory for others. The AVR now offers a six mile return train ride along the former Mangotsfield to Bath Green Park branch of the old Midland Railway, and the chance to see the River Avon valley from an aspect that cars cannot reach.

Blaise Castle House Museum

Henbury Road, Henbury

Bristol BS10 7QS

0117 903 9818

goo.gl/xDevmG

The museum is situated in an 18th century house and holds most of the museums Service’s 30,000 social history collection. Blaise has famous connections – it was immortalised by Jane Austen who described it as ‘the finest place in England’ in her book Northanger Abbey. The museum contains exhibits of everyday life from centuries past including an impressive domestic equipment gallery, a Victorian toy room including the museum’s popular model train collection, old period costumes, other items of everyday life and a beautiful picture gallery.

Bristol & Avon Family History Society

50 Russell Grove

Westbury Park BS6 7UF

www.bafhs.org.uk

Formed in 1975, the Bristol & Avon Family History Society aims to provide contacts between members by regular meetings and through a quarterly Journal to assist members with problems encountered during research work. The society also works to promote and encourage the public study of family history, genealogy and associated interests.

Bristol Aero Collection Trust

PO BOX 77

Bristol BS34 7QH

0117 9365350

www.bristolaero.com

The Bristol Aerospace Centre is a new heritage museum and learning centre being planned for Filton, to the north of Bristol. It tells the story of the region’s world-class aerospace industry – past, present and future.

Collections: Aircraft, guided missiles, spacecraft and aero engines produced by the Bristol Aeroplane Company and its successors centred on the Filton works north of Bristol. Also some products of the related Bristol Tram and Carriage Co.

Bristol Cathedral

College Green

Bristol BS1 5TJ

0117 926 4879

www.bristol-cathedral.co.uk

A church has probably stood on this site for over a thousand years but it came to prominence in 1140 when Robert Fitzhardinge founded the Abbey of St Augustine.

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Queen’s Road

Bristol BS8 1RL

0117 922 3571

goo.gl/g4wBxZ

Bristol’s premier museum and art gallery houses important collections of minerals and fossils, natural history, eastern art, world wildlife, Egyptology, archaeology and fine and applied art. Among the applied art collections with a strong Bristol connection are important collections of delftware and glass.

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Queen’s Road

Bristol BS8 1RL

www.bristolmuseums.org.uk

Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives is the main museum and archives service for the city. It comprises several sites including Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, M Shed, Blaise Castle House Museum, The Red Lodge Museum, The Georgian House Museum, Bristol Records Office and Archives.

Bristol Record Office

‘B’ Bond Warehouse, Smeaton Road

Bristol BS1 6XN

0117 922 4224

www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-record-office

Our goal is to preserve and make available for research records and photographs relating to the history of Bristol. This Record Office has Designated Collections of national importance.

Brunel’s ss Great Britain

Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road

Bristol BS1 6TY

0117 926 0680

www.ssgreatbritain.org

The brainchild of our most famous Bristolian, Isambard Kingdom Brunel; this iconic steam ship is the heart of a multi-award winning visitor attraction. Rescued from rust and wreckage in 1970, and since lovingly restored to her Victorian hey-day, a visit to the ss Great Britain allows you to step back in time and explore true stories from the opulent First-Class to the cramped and quarrelsome Steerage.

Clifton Cathedral

Cathedral Church of SS Peter and Paul, Clifton Cathedral House, Clifton Park

Bristol BS8 3BX

0117 973 8411

www.cliftoncathedral.org.uk

The Cathedral Church at Clifton is the mother church of the Diocese of Clifton which covers the neighbouring counties of North Somerset, Bath, North and South Gloucester, Wiltshire, South Somerset, and the City and County of Bristol. Construction began in March 1970.

Clifton Rocks Railway

Princes Buildings, Clifton

Bristol BS8 4LD

www.cliftonrocksrailway.org.uk

Thousands of people pass the bottom entrance to the Clifton Rocks Railway as they drive along Bristol’s Portway, with most not knowing what secret is buried in the rock of the Avon Gorge. Constructed with great difficulty inside the cliffs of the Avon Gorge in order to reduce its visual impact on the picturesque surroundings, this water powered ‘funicular’ railway opened on 11 March, 1893 and operated for 40 years against diminishing trade. Includes original turnstiles, regenerative gas light, artefacts left by war-time users.

Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre

Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust, Bridgemaster’s Office, Leigh Woods

Bristol BS8 3PA

0117 974 4664

www.cliftonbridge.org.uk

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a world famous icon of the city of Bristol. Designed in the 1830s by the Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it was not completed until 1864.

Garrison Living History Group, The

93 Poplar Road, Warmley

Bristol BS30 5JS

0117 961 5016

www.thegarrison.org.uk

Living history group working with the Royal Artillery and veterans associations, based at Larkhill School of Artillery.

Geology Collection, University of Bristol

University of Bristol, School of Earth Sciences, Wills Memorial Building, Queen’s Road

Bristol BS8 1RJ

0117 928 9000

goo.gl/TFp6qJ

The Geology Collection at the University of Bristol safeguards a diverse range of over 100,000 geological specimens, maps and archival documents in support of the wider scholarly community and the general public. Visitors are welcome to view our public displays or book an appointment to access the collection.

Georgian House Museum, The

The Georgian House, 7 Great George Street

Bristol BS1 5RR

0117 921 1362

www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/georgian-house-museum

The Georgian House is an 18th century, six storey townhouse that has been restored and decorated to its original glory. The house was built in 1790 for John Pinney, a wealthy slave plantation owner and sugar merchant, it was also where the enslaved African Pero lived. It is displayed as it might have looked in the 18th century and provides an insight into life above and below stairs.

Collections: Part of Bristol Museums.

Glenside Hospital Museum

Glenside Museum, University of the West of England Glenside Campus, Stapleton

Bristol BS16 1DD

0117 9652829

www.glensidemuseum.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

A collection on the history of Bristol Psychiatric hospitals and Learning Disability hospitals. Dr Donal Early was the main founder of the museum and was a consultant psychiatrist at Glenside from the 1950s. He and his volunteers collected memorabilia and stored them on the balcony of the dining hall of Glenside.

Collections: Highlights include an array of medications and remedies, drawings by patient Denis Reed, a fully operational church organ, ECT machines, padded cell, straight jacket, mortuary equipment, ophthalmic instruments, an undercarriage door of a Messerschmitt Bomber from WW2, and dioramas of an everyday ward, operating theatre, and GP’s surgery.

Kings Weston Roman Villa

Long Cross, Lawrence Weston

Bristol BS11 0LP

01179 506789

goo.gl/ezyGyw

Kings Weston Villa was discovered during the construction of Lawrence Weston housing estate in 1947; the construction of a road partially destroyed it, but a full excavation was carried out in 1948-50. The villa may have been the centre of an estate associated with farming.

Kingswood Heritage Museum

Windmill Tower building, Tower Lane

Warmley BS30 8XT

0117 967 5711

www.kingswoodmuseum.org.uk

Interpretation of the Champion site at Warmley. Displays on local industries and religious history.

M Shed

Wapping Road

Bristol BS1 4RN

0117 352 6600

www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed

M Shed is an exciting and innovative new museum for Bristol that tells the story of our city. Located on the historic dockside, Bristol’s flagship museum has been designed to retain the character of the former 1950s transit shed.

Matthew of Bristol

Gas Ferry Road

Bristol BS1 6TY

0117 927 6868

www.matthew.co.uk

Over 500 years ago John Cabot and his crew set sail for Asia aboard the original Matthew hoping to trade goods and commodities with the people who lived there. However, he finally arrived on the coast of Newfoundland and therefore was the original discoverer of North America, not Christopher Columbus as most people believe. In 1997 the replica Matthew followed the same course as John Cabot in 1497 and sailed across to Newfoundland. It carried the same number of crew members as the original and took the same amount of time to complete the crossing. Today The Matthew is based in Bristol Harbour during the autumn and winter months and is open to the public as well as undertaking short cruises around the harbour.

Müller House

c/o The George M

Bristol BS6 6DA

0117 924 5001

www.mullers.org

Our museum contains photographs and artefacts from the ‘Homes’ (both the Ashley Down homes and later ‘scattered’ homes), as well as papers and personal effects which belonged to George Müller. The Trust is also home to archives of the original homes and records of all the orphans – over 17,000 of them. These can be viewed by arrangement by contacting the Trust office. We regularly receive visitors by appointment from around the world as well as from local groups and schools around Bristol.

New Room – John Wesley’s Chapel

36 The Horsefair

Bristol BS1 3JE

0117 926 4740

www.newroombristol.org.uk

The New Room in Bristol is the oldest Methodist Chapel in the world (originally built in 1739) and the cradle of the early Methodist movement. It was built and used by John Wesley and the early Methodists as a meeting and preaching place and the centre for helping and educating the needy members of the community. The chapel itself is on the ground floor (where there is also a shop) and is accessible from either the Broadmead or Horsefair courtyards. Upstairs, are the Preachers’ Rooms where the MLA accredited museum is located.

Penguin Archive

Special Collections, Arts and Social Sciences Library, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue

Bristol BS8 1TJ

0117 928 8014

goo.gl/5TNS0B

The Penguin Archive contains the archives of Penguin Books Ltd. from its foundation in 1935 to the 1980s.

Recording the Crafts

NEVAC, University of the West of England, Bower Ashton Campus, Kennel Lodge Road, Off Clanage Road

Bristol BS3 2JT

0117 328 4746

www.uwe.ac.uk/sca/research/rtc

The National Electronic and Video Archive of the Crafts – NEVAC – gathers materials which will act as a resource for those researching the nature of the Crafts. These materials are characteristically in the form of digital video and sound recordings of people who have been intimately associated with the development of the Crafts in Britain.

Collections: There are currently 261 hours of interviews with 118 people, (including ceramists, textile artists, wood-workers, print-makers, enamel artists and curators).

Red Lodge Museum, The

The Red Lodge, Park Row

Bristol BS1 5LJ

0117 921 1360

www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/red-lodge-museum

The Red Lodge is often described as Bristol’s ‘hidden treasure’ because of its magnificent Tudor rooms. The house, built in 1580, is furnished in Elizabethan, Stuart and Georgian styles and contains the impressive Great Oak Room, with its original Elizabethan plasterwork ceiling, oak panelling and carved chimneypiece.

Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust

c/o Brian Whatley, Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust (Bristol Branch), EW6-18, PO Box 3, Filton

Bristol BS34 7QE

0117 979 5494

goo.gl/4XDT7I

The Bristol branch owns the heritage of the Bristol Engine Company, its predecessors Brazil Straker and Cosmos Engineering, later the Bristol Siddeley company and, ultimately, the heritage of the site during the Rolls-Royce era. Its display reflects the leadership given to the development of the air-cooled radial piston engine by Sir Roy Fedden, to the development of the gas turbine engine for V/STOL and supersonic flight.

Sodbury Vale Family History Group

36 Westcourt Drive, Oldland Common

Bristol BS30 9RU

0117 932 4133

goo.gl/Q6IFLx

Are you interested in your family history and would like to meet with like minded people? Then Sodbury Vale Family History Group is the place for you.

University of Bristol Theatre Collection

University of Bristol Theatre Collection, Department of Drama, Cantocks Close

Bristol BS8 1UP

0117 331 5086

www.bris.ac.uk/theatrecollection

The Theatre Collection is an accredited museum and one of the world’s largest archives of British theatre and Live Art. Founded in 1951 to serve the newly formed Drama Department (the first in any UK university), we are now an internationally renowned research facility open to all. Our collections cover all aspects of theatre history to the present day and our visitors include everyone from international scholars to family historians.

Collections: The Theatre Collection covers the period 1572 to the 21st century. The collections encompassa wide range of formats including documents, photographs, artwork, artefacts, costumes, audio-visual and digital media.

University of Bristol, Special Collections

Arts and Social Sciences Library, Tyndall Avenue, University of Bristol

Bristol BS8 1TH

0117 928 8014

goo.gl/i1WhFm

The Special Collections of the University Library comprise a rich and diverse range of printed books and journals, archival resources and artefacts in support of the academic work of the University and the wider scholarly community.

Winterbourne Medieval Barn

Church Lane

Winterbourne BS36 1SE

www.winterbournebarn.org.uk/index.html

Winterbourne Medieval Barn is a building of national importance. Built in 1342, just a few years before the great plagues swept across England, the barn is a unique survival of the medieval agrarian economy.