The changing face of Bristol

[jonny777]

I thought you might appreciate a little nostalgia from 20 years ago, so I have added this to Youtube:-

 

[Tim V]

A couple dated 28 May 1978.

 

[JeffP]

Great shots, very rare to find shots of the rear of Bath Road, I've only ever seen a couple before.

[two tone green]

Never knew there was a turntable, amazing. Thanks.

[Bristol_Rich]

Love the wagon load of what look like brake shoes?

[Rivercider]

Great shots, very rare to find shots of the rear of Bath Road, I've only ever seen a couple before.

The 'Bristol Rail Archive'  website has some shots of the rear after closure, and many of elsewhere around Bristol

 

cheers

[Baby Deltic]

Looks like things might be happening, how long before Temple Meads gets taken over?

IMAG0448.jpg

I knew the Captain grew big parsnips, but.........

[Fat Controller]

Love the wagon load of what look like brake shoes?

On the other side of the turntable is what looks like a 12t pipe wagon, also with a few brakeshoes in it. The turntable used also to be connected to the Avoiding Line, via the line those LNER Highs are sitting on- the link lasted until 02/1985, apparently, according to the relevant 'Cooke'

[br2975]

"CHANGING FACE OF BRISTOL" eh !

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Well if one of you is closer to the City Fathers than I, please congratulate them on causing the mother of all traffic queues this evening along the Portway.

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In future, when mending the swingbridge thingy they may wish to put advance warning along the inbound carriageway of The Portway and not rely on the three cones placed across the two lanes at the foot of the ramp onto the elevated section.

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The traffic was better during the Balloon Fiesta

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Now I know why the Severn Estuary is too narrow !

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Rant over

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Brian R

[PatB]

"CHANGING FACE OF BRISTOL" eh !

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Well if one of you is closer to the City Fathers than I, please congratulate them on causing the mother of all traffic queues this evening along the Portway.

.

In future, when mending the swingbridge thingy they may wish to put advance warning along the inbound carriageway of The Portway and not rely on the three cones placed across the two lanes at the foot of the ramp onto the elevated section.

.

The traffic was better during the Balloon Fiesta

.

Now I know why the Severn Estuary is too narrow !

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Rant over

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Brian R

 

They were doing much the same thin 25 years ago when I lived there and was a Portway regular. I don't see them changing now .

[Cornish Triang Paul]

Having spent 15 years driving buses in Bristol, I know things will only get worse-er !

[Joseph_Pestell]

They were doing much the same thin 25 years ago when I lived there and was a Portway regular. I don't see them changing now .

 

I can raise that 25. They were already hopeless at managing traffic around the Cumberland Basin bridge when I lived in Bristol (1978).

 

It's not just on the rare occasions they need to swing it. It is built in such a way as to make the road lethally slippery in cold weather so is often closed with little notice in winter.

[Richard E]

Ooh Arr - thees got'n wur thee casn't back'n asn't!

 

Many memories of bother over the swing bridges from as long ago as 1962! Yup, pre Cumberland Basin flyover days as that was built in 1965! My route to school was across the basin or the suspension bridge, used to live in Bishopsworth. Home was via the bus service through Bedminster past the Wills factory - bus always smelt of tobacco from the passengers getting on there.

 

Moved to Backwell later on so home was via Dad's office in the city centre (by Bristol Bridge). An overriding memory was the smell from Courages brewery on the opposite river bank. Saw the office block being built, seen it derelict and I suspect it may be well gone by now - built round the ruins of St Mary-le-Port church. The caretakers used to regularly find skulls by the fire doors where they were washed out of the earth banks behind the building that used to be the graveyard of the church.

[Tim V]

The building round Mary-le-Port church was still derelict, but intact today...

[Tim V]

Not much change here, Post & Press and the IBM building, and Clerical Medical, the cars and that bus:

The foot bridges:

And the Severn Beach train.

 

[Vanders]

Not much change here...

To be fair, it's only the print room that's gone, although that was the bit that most people thought of when you said "Post & Press building". Shame, really, I always thought that nice curved wall looked quite nice.

 

Of course the view in your second picture is completely different now, although it scares me how familiar that view is to me. I watched the changes to Bond Street happen day by day: I worked in Greyfairs, and then Kings House next door, for seven years. I used to wander down the footbridge on my lunch and watch what was happening.

 

34 and reminiscing about the old days!

 

Back on topic, I haven't heard anything so I assume the works for Temple Meads are still on track to begin in Spring 2014?

[ForestPines]

The building round Mary-le-Port church was still derelict, but intact today...

I believe a lot of it is Grade 1 listed, hence why nobody wants to do anything with it.

[Gordon A]

I was stuck in that traffic que. I left Avonmouth at 16:45 and finally got home at St Annes at 19:30.

My home journey is normally 45 minutes.

I understand that the swing bridge was jammed open due to an electrical fault. They finally hand cranked it shut by 04:30 am!

Once on the Portway there are no turnings off untill you get to the suspension bridge which takes you up to Clifton.

The lack of action by the council / police to close the Portway off and divert traffic was a disgrace!

 

Gordon A

Bristol

[John_Hughes]

Ah, but I remember the brewery when it was George's.

 

And the traffic round the Cumberland Basin (Bason?) was just as bad back then! But at least the buses were a nice shade of green!

[JeffP]

But the council/police only inconvenienced a few motorists....and we all know that motorists are eco-terrorists and criminals**, so what's the problem?

 

 

** According to government, any way.

[Tim V]

I believe a lot of it is Grade 1 listed, hence why nobody wants to do anything with it.

The church is possibly yes, but not the Bank of England and Norwich union building, surely?

[ForestPines]

No, the Bank Of England building is Grade 1 too. I don't think the Norwich Union building is.

 

Edit: the council's list of listings says "13 and 14 Former Bank Of England, Broad St" - see http://www.bristol.gov.uk/sites/default/files/assets/documents/grade-1-listed-buildings-in-bristol.pdf - which can't be *that* Bank Of England building presumably because it's just round the corner from there.

Edited December 20, 2013 by ForestPines

[Andy Kirkham]

Does anyone know why the Bank of England had a branch in Bristol?  I'm pretty ignorant about economics so all I know about the Bank of England is (1) it keeps an enormous stash of gold bars and (2) it sets interest rates, so on that basis I can't see what would be the purpose of having premises anywhere but London.

 

The list of Grade 1 Listed buildings is interesting but there seem to be some oddities: why have the houses in Portland Square been listed but none of Bristol's other numerous Georgian town houses? (on reflection perhaps it was an emergency measure to protect them from threatened demolition).

 

And the Avon Bridge in Whitby Road. Do they mean the railway bridge? What is special about it?

Edited December 20, 2013 by Andy Kirkham

[mow]

Bank of England had an office in Broad Street, it does appear to have had facilities for storing gold bullion.

 

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-379004-former-bank-of-england-

 

http://jeromeonline.co.uk/drawings/index.cfm?display_scheme=1270

 

http://www.bristolreads.com/downloads/walking_guides/victorian_bristol.doc

[Fat Controller]

Does anyone know why the Bank of England had a branch in Bristol?  I'm pretty ignorant about economics so all I know about the Bank of England is (1) it keeps an enormous stash of gold bars and (2) it sets interest rates, so on that basis I can't see what would be the purpose of having premises anywhere but London.

 

The list of Grade 1 Listed buildings is interesting but there seem to be some oddities: why have the houses in Portland Square been listed but none of Bristol's other numerous Georgian town houses? (on reflection perhaps it was an emergency measure to protect them from threatened demolition).

 

And the Avon Bridge in Whitby Road. Do they mean the railway bridge? What is special about it?

The Regional branches of the Bank of England had several functions; I'm not sure that storing gold bullion was a major one. One was acting as a distribution point for new notes and coin; another was as a collection point for notes that were deemed unfit for further use. These would be collected and taken to a site in Essex where they used to be incinerated, and where they are now composted instead. Given the alleged amount of contamination, I wonder if anyone's done a risk assessment for cocaine entering the food chain via this route...

One regional branch, that at Newcastle, had an additional function; damaged notes, such as those that had been through the washing machine, or had been partially destroyed by fire, would be checked for authenticity, so that replacements could be issued. I remember there being a programme on Radio 4 dealing with this.

I can't remember seeing the bullion containers and accompanying vehicles at Bristol, but I did see them being transhipped at Tyneside Central Freight Depot a few times. On at least one of these occasions, I was measuring wagons (with permission) when a member of staff came up and told us we'd best be off.