The changing face of Bristol

[Joseph_Pestell]

It may well have been, but it wasn't marketed in Bristol; there you had Bitter and 'Best' (generally known as 'worst'). In '73, it was a pretty dire place for beer; when the Monopolies Commission decided that Courage had too large a market share, they compelled them to sell off a lot of tied houses. Sadly, the purchaser was Watneys.

By 1976, things had improved considerably, with the likes of Wadsworths taking over 'pubs, and the Poly having range of real ales.

 

Yes, I think that's right. Directors' was originally brewed and launched from the London brewery at Horsleydown. It was in the mid-70s that they started also brewing it in Bristol before then closing all the traditional breweries in favour of a refinery just by the M4 in Reading.

 

It was the only real ale available in my Montpelier local but I usually only drank there on Sunday evenings. My usual watering hole was The Shakespeare, a magnificently grotty, traditional pub in Prince St next door to the Arnolfini. The beer there was always very good - well kept by the landlord Phil who, ironically, was himself a teetotaller.

 

By 1977, there was a fair selection of real ale available: two Davenports' pubs, a CAMRA-owned pub by the M32, the Prince of Wales' Feathers in the Hotwells Road. and a cellar bar in the centre that I can't remember the name of. Just round the corner from me, in an old corner shop, Smiles' Brewery was just starting, one of the first microbreweries.

[jonny777]

I do remember frequenting Mr Pope's, which was underneath The Mauretania, although strictly speaking that was on Frog Lane. Another of our favourites was The Horse and Groom on St George's Road; although I think that is now the Siam Angel Cafe. 

 

Edited, to add that Mr Popes appears (on Google Maps) to be now called "omg". 

Edited November 14, 2017 by jonny777

[Captain Kernow]

Bristol Temple Meads Workstations at TVSC are taking shape with testing ongoing, due to transfer up in Apr 18.

 

So will this mean that the only panel left operational in Bristol Panel signal box from that date will be the current 'A' panel, covering Fordgate to South Liberty (ish)?

[Captain Kernow]

A question for all you Bristolians. My daughter now lives in Bristol and when walking down near the floating harbour i have been trying to work out where the old Warehouse was that the model railway exhibition was held in back in the mid 1980's. I can remember going a couple of times around 1984 1985 time. All i do remember was that it was on many floors and very draughty!

That would be The Watershed. It was the home of the Bristol Model Railway exhibition, following on from the previous venue of the Victoria Rooms, and then superceded by the current venue at the leisure centre at Thornbury.

[Coppercap]

That would be The Watershed. It was the home of the Bristol Model Railway exhibition, following on from the previous venue of the Victoria Rooms, and then superceded by the current venue at the leisure centre at Thornbury.

Not quite - the exhibition centre was in the buildings adjacent to the Watershed (which is still in the same place, it's not moved).

[JZ]

It was in the Watershed and on two floors. In my mind, a much better venue than Thornbury Leisure Centre.

[Captain Kernow]

Not quite - the exhibition centre was in the buildings adjacent to the Watershed (which is still in the same place, it's not moved).

I thought it was all part of the same complex.

 

Either way, fond memories of going to those shows, usually in the capacity of staff on the Whiteman's Bookshop stand (used to be the leading transport bookseller in the SW, a mantel now ably taken up by Not Jeremy, who, by the way, was usually there with me, also in the capacity of 'staff').

[talisman56]

The Bristol MRE was held in the building known as the 'Bristol Exhibition Centre'. The Watershed was the separate (but not by much) building closer to the city centre which housed an Art space and Bristol's first mainstream commercial radio station, Radio West (Eddie Shoestring eat your heart out)...

 

I think that both buildings are nowadays known as 'The Watershed Complex', the old exhibition centre building is now home to a couple of eating and drinking establishments.

[Killybegs]

It may well have been, but it wasn't marketed in Bristol; there you had Bitter and 'Best' (generally known as 'worst'). In '73, it was a pretty dire place for beer; when the Monopolies Commission decided that Courage had too large a market share, they compelled them to sell off a lot of tied houses. Sadly, the purchaser was Watneys.

By 1976, things had improved considerably, with the likes of Wadsworths taking over 'pubs, and the Poly having range of real ales.

 

I found this on Google, relating to Directors' Bitter. It doesn't of course tell you where it was available but we certainly had it in my local in Cirencester in the 60's.

 

Originally brewed at Alton Brewery in Hampshire in 1903 for the Courage directors; spare beer was sold as Alton IPA, which acquired the nickname of Director’s Bitter.

Moved to the Courage owned Simonds Brewery in 1969, then to the Anchor Brewery in Bermondsey, then, in 1981 to Bristol. When Courage was taken over by Scottish and Newcastle, production moved to John Smith’s brewery in Tadcaster. Production was later contracted out to Youngs in London, and in Jan 2007 the Courage Brand was purchased by Wells & Youngs who brew it in Bedford.

 

I have fond memories of Georges horse drawn drays delivering the beer in central Bristol.

[talisman56]

I always remember the advice given me on first moving to the Bristol area: 'At the sign of the cock, take courage'... (note small 'c')

[Coppercap]

The Bristol MRE was held in the building known as the 'Bristol Exhibition Centre'. The Watershed was the separate (but not by much) building closer to the city centre which housed an Art space and Bristol's first mainstream commercial radio station, Radio West (Eddie Shoestring eat your heart out)...

 

I think that both buildings are nowadays known as 'The Watershed Complex', the old exhibition centre building is now home to a couple of eating and drinking establishments.

Most of the harbourside has now been turned over to eating and drinking establishments!

[Vanders]

My usual watering hole was The Shakespeare, a magnificently grotty, traditional pub in Prince St next door to the Arnolfini. The beer there was always very good - well kept by the landlord Phil who, ironically, was himself a teetotaller.

Still there, still fairly grotty, and I can't say the beer is "good" these days!

 

I was disgusted by the mens toilets in the Old Duke last time I was in there: they'd actually renovated them! It just isn't the same...

[talisman56]

Still there, still fairly grotty, and I can't say the beer is "good" these days!

 

I was disgusted by the mens toilets in the Old Duke last time I was in there: they'd actually renovated them! It just isn't the same...

 

On Jazz nights at the 'Duke' getting a drink at the bar was virtually impossible so we'd get a few in from the '(Llandoger) Trow' opposite and stand outside the Duke. The music was so loud you could still hear clearly even though the windows might be closed...

[Fat Controller]

Yes, I think that's right. Directors' was originally brewed and launched from the London brewery at Horsleydown. It was in the mid-70s that they started also brewing it in Bristol before then closing all the traditional breweries in favour of a refinery just by the M4 in Reading.

 

It was the only real ale available in my Montpelier local but I usually only drank there on Sunday evenings. My usual watering hole was The Shakespeare, a magnificently grotty, traditional pub in Prince St next door to the Arnolfini. The beer there was always very good - well kept by the landlord Phil who, ironically, was himself a teetotaller.

 

By 1977, there was a fair selection of real ale available: two Davenports' pubs, a CAMRA-owned pub by the M32, the Prince of Wales' Feathers in the Hotwells Road. and a cellar bar in the centre that I can't remember the name of. Just round the corner from me, in an old corner shop, Smiles' Brewery was just starting, one of the first microbreweries.

Don't forget the Phoenix, by Old Market; very nice pint of 6X.

What was your Montpellier local? Nearest to me was the Beaufort, usually occupied by Irishmen drinking rum and West Indians with pints of Guinness.

[roundhouse]

I lived in the Bristol area till '73 but really didnt like the smell eminating from the brewery as my parents drove past it just over Bristol bridge but too young to appreciate.

 

Then after moving to Surrey, when old enough one of my first real ale trips was a trip in the early 90's to Smiles in Colston Street and staying in a small hotel not far from Montpelier station that had good real ale and being a bona fide guest, we could drink Sunday afternoon til the pubs oopened again in the evening.

 

Bristol is still a favourite place to go for good beers.

[raymw]

I guess it was in 1970 when we used to go to 'The Old Granary' for jazz (and beer- plenty of). Then on Weds. nights they introduced 'pop groups'. The bar maids referred to Weds. as 'pig night'. They had a new manager/ess, who spent a whole morning trying to book a group named 'glasses and ashtrays' based on a note one of the barmaids left. Used to frequent 'The Coronation Taps' towards Clifton for cider. The floor covering, puzzled us, not that you could see much of it being generally packed in there. It was a sort of shiny black tarpaulin type of material. Dropped half a crown, which rolled under a bench, and found the floor was at one time a decent blue carpet.

[Ian Smeeton]

I always enjoyed trips to Bristol.

 

Never mnanaged to leave the place sober.

 

Mind you , I was usually the guest of one or other of the wine merchants.

 

The hard work was tasting, in the morning, followed by lunch. Never finished before 4, the poured into a taxi to the station.

 

No numbers taken, I couldn't focus on them.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[lmsforever]

I went to the Bristol model show once with a group of friends but it took us a little while to actualy arrive in Bristol ,we arrived at Reading station to find trains all over the place.and definitely not running to time.The board showed a train for Bristol and we piled on board but we knew something was wrong when we passed through the Severn Tunnel panic set in as we were abroad according to another passenger.Newport hove into view and a change of train was decided on but we had to convince a ticket collector that we should not pay extra fares but agreement was reached that we could use a train to Weymouth and alight at Bristol.The train was packed with singing Welshman on their way to the south coast and an enjoyable time was had by everyone as was the day at the show.Remember seeing a bunch of nutters running a layout dressed in waistcoats and bowler hats a great layout if I remember ,afterwards we sampled a couple of beers and had good jorney home all in all agood day out.

[talisman56]

I guess it was in 1970 when we used to go to 'The Old Granary' for jazz (and beer- plenty of). Then on Weds. nights they introduced 'pop groups'. The bar maids referred to Weds. as 'pig night'. They had a new manager/ess, who spent a whole morning trying to book a group named 'glasses and ashtrays' based on a note one of the barmaids left. Used to frequent 'The Coronation Taps' towards Clifton for cider. The floor covering, puzzled us, not that you could see much of it being generally packed in there. It was a sort of shiny black tarpaulin type of material. Dropped half a crown, which rolled under a bench, and found the floor was at one time a decent blue carpet.

 

'The Coronation Tap' (sic) [or 'TheCoriTap' according to their website] is still the premier Cider place in Clifton/Bristol/the World. Thankfully, they, at sometime over the intervening years, have replaced the floor covering...

Edited November 16, 2017 by talisman56

[PatB]

During my time in Bristol, as a biker my regular haunts were the Mardyke on Hotwells Road, and the Crown in St Nick's Market. The latter was particularly good on warm summer evenings, with the long line of British bikes, chops and lowriders parked in the alleyway and out onto St Nicholas Street providing an impromptu bike show. Other favourites were the Springer on Newfoundland Road, especially if there was a band on, and the Star and Garter (looking rather sad in Streetview I'm afraid)  in Montpelier for a lock-in on a Saturday night.

 

Horribly depressing, but my local for a couple of years, was the Engineer's Arms on St John's Lane. It seems to be called the Brunel now, and has been facelifted a bit, but I remember it as a dingy shed with bad beer. The various pubs on Windmill Hill all seemed OK though, by my very low standards of the time. For cider, my pick was the Barley Mow in Bedminster, although the clientele were a pretty good advert against drinking it long term or in quantity .

[John_Hughes]

The Sally (Salutation) in Henbury was decent way back then, and I was at the Llandoger Trow more often than sometimes, usually after a visit to the theatre. But back then it was always cider, not beer, for me.

 

Happy days!

[Killybegs]

When I was at college, our Friday night drinking venue was  'The Somerset' in Park Row. Long gone!

[Great Western]

The Bristol Parkway/Patchway enhancement works overran this morning, the railway reopening about 0730hrs.

The new Bristol Parkway Passenger Loop (platform one) and Bristol Parkway Down Relief, along with the Down Goods Loop are currently out of use until the snagging issues have been resolved.

 

Platform one is still due to open to passengers after Xmas.

 

There was a huge amount of work to complete, the orange army did a fantastic job in all fairness.

[The Stationmaster]

The Bristol Parkway/Patchway enhancement works overran this morning, the railway reopening about 0730hrs.

The new Bristol Parkway Passenger Loop (platform one) and Bristol Parkway Down Relief, along with the Down Goods Loop are currently out of use until the snagging issues have been resolved.

 

Platform one is still due to open to passengers after Xmas.

 

There was a huge amount of work to complete, the orange army did a fantastic job in all fairness.

 

The mind tends to boggle when one reads about 'snagging issues' in relation to supposedly newly commissioned track.  The job has either been done properly and commissioned or it has not.

[Grovenor]

The mind tends to boggle when one reads about 'snagging issues' in relation to supposedly newly commissioned track.  The job has either been done properly and commissioned or it has not.

But it wasn't commissioned!

Regards

 

PS But it is possible to commission  with some snags, eg temporary fishplate fitted if the welders ran out of time.