Mark Nicholls heads west to Bristol to discover the city of Banksy and Brunel
If you’re thinking of making a B-line to Bristol here’s four reasons to do so: Boats, Bridges, Brunel and Banksy.
All have been significant in shaping the city we see today.
The harbour is full of vessels of all shapes and sizes, notably the SS Great Britain, which was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who also had a hand in the bridges – significantly the Clifton Suspension Bridge – and masterminded the Great Western Railway from London Paddington that gets us there.
And then there’s Banksy: a divisive living legend in his home city; anonymous, mysterious, though many in Bristol claim to know who he is.
Acknowledging the past
The Bristol I found was one prepared to acknowledge its past to help shape the future, however uncomfortable that may at times seem.
Nowhere better is that illustrated than in the figure of slave trader Edward Colston. His statue was toppled by Black Lives Matter protestors in June 2020, yet is now on display in the M Shed Museum, and similarly with the Colston window in Bristol Cathedral. Both are couched in a rhetoric to ensure the ‘sin of slavery’ is tackled, erased and never repeated.
A good start point for Bristol is to head up to Clifton to admire the engineering wonder, the Clifton Suspension Bridge across the Avon Gorge, which opened in 1864.
Walk across its span, enjoy the view below and then learn more about its history at the visitor centre on the opposite side and how Brunel was commissioned to deliver the project. There’s also a great view of the bridge from the observation tower on the Clifton side.
Brunel’s Bristol
I had followed Brunel’s tracks and caught a GWR express from Paddington to Temple Meads in about 90 minutes (return fares from around £78).
Once you arrive, you begin to understand Brunel’s impact.
The SS Great Britain and it’s museum (admission £22) detailing the story of the first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic is a must-visit.
Launched in 1843 as the largest vessel ever built, it became a blueprint for a new type of faster, bigger and more efficient ships and was a luxury liner, immigrant ship transporting people to Australia, troop and coal transporter.
It was eventually abandoned and scuttled in the Falkland Islands before being refloated and returned home to Bristol in 1970 and later transformed into the visitor attraction we now see.
There’s a lot to see at the SS Great Britain visitor centre and the tour of the dry dock, below the ship’s water line, is a fascinating introduction.
Volunteer guide Alan Henham will explain how Brunel came up with the idea of a screw propellor as opposed to side paddles and how the iron hull is preserved in a carefully-controlled environment to help slow erosion.
“Effectively, the hull is contained in a cocoon of dry air to halt the rusting process,” said Alan.
Harbour boat tour
A Harbourside wander embraces shops, bars, restaurants, converted warehouses, railway sidings, bridges, cranes and moorings but is best seen from the water.
Bristol Packet Boat tours run 45-minute cruises (£11) with highly-informative commentary.
As the boat sweeps past the SS Great Britain and the Albion Dockyard, commentator George Young explains Bristol’s shipbuilding tradition and how vessels had to be robust to withstand the enormous tidal surge of the River Avon.
“That led to the phrase ‘ship shape and Bristol fashion’ in reference to the seaworthiness of the boats built here,” he tells passengers.
Above the harbour, you’ll notice terraced houses that were painted in different colours from the 1960s to smarten up facades blackened by Bristol’s industrial smog, “a trend in Bristol, which continues today,” added George.
Walkable city
Bristol has its different dimensions; a student vibe, a city grown wealthy on the slave trade and tobacco, museums and a history that it strives to redress, record and recognise, rather than re-write.
The M Shed Museum is a great (free) place to learn more: you can see a Banksy, exhibits on Wallace and Gromet as part of the city’s cinematography legacy, Colston’s statue, and much more.
There are several walking tours of the city, but one I can recommend is the street art tour with Where the Wall covering Banksy et al (£15.50).
Enthusiastically led by John Nation, a patron of the street art scene in Bristol, associate of Banksy and numerous other street artists and creatives – it delivers an insightful, opinionated, yet highly-informed history of the scene in Bristol through its key characters and the ongoing war on graffiti between protagonists and the local authorities.
Banksy and co
It starts near College Green (so visit nearby Bristol Cathedral and its wonderful nave beforehand), and hits Banksy immediately with the Well-Hung Lover on a wall opposite Bristol City Hall.
Explaining how Banksy “targets specific location, Nation explains: “Banksy is like Marmite; some love him, some hate him and he’s a very divisive figure in Bristol.”
You notice that as you see some of his other work daubed with splodges of red, green and blue paint.
What Nation does is interpret the language and symbolism of street graffiti and the rivalries and respect among artists.
Poignant work
Beyond Banksy, images include Inkie’s celebration of Bristol’s 650th anniversary; tall street art creations rising up high-rise buildings, before eventually finding our way into the Stokes Croft and a district with vibrancy and colour, international cuisine, and an ‘edginess’ on the street.
Construction site hoardings offer a blank canvas to artists, while a large Orange Face by Stinkfish looms at a junction. Nearby offices have a portrayal of 2020 Bristol protestor Jennifer Reid and an iconic Banksy on another: Mild Mild West from 1999 and his last freehand image. The bear with a Molotov cocktail confronts a line of police, symbolising the rising of a community, explains Nation.
It is where the tour officially ends, though Nation urges us to wander into the Kings Down area above Stokes Cross, to a flat where Banksy once lived with his girlfriend.
Outside is an early, poignant work – the Rose Trap – and sealed against art thieves and vandals.
Stay, eat and drink
During my visit I stayed at the Hotel du Vin City Centre, with 40 rooms named after wines and Champagnes with big beds and even bigger baths (room rates from around £130 a night).
Breakfast is sublime from traditional English to eggs Benedict, kippers, and French toast, while dinner in the French-themed Bistro du Vin is an experience to savour. I enjoyed a magnificent onion soup and sumptuous sole meuniere.
Set in a converted 18th century sugar warehouse, it has a cosy bar and if you have the time the afternoon tea (£29.95 per person) is monumental.
If you’re seeking pre-dinner drinks with a ‘twist’, try the 6 O’clock Gin masterclass (£35) at 6 O’clock Gin at The Glassboat) moored beside Welsh Back and learn to taste and mix different gins.
From there, I popped into The Granary nearby for dinner to enjoy slow roasted shoulder of lamb, a side of grilled onions, green chill and pomegranate molasses, and flatbreads.
Yet there are so many tastes and flavours to savour; the Wapping Wharf food outlets near the M Shed museum or the St Nicholas Market, are good spots for lunch.
Bristol has a lot to much to offer with diverse attractions, street art, and great places to stay, eat and drink. And you’ll discovering everything definitely feels ship-shape.
Tell me more about this Insider Guide to Bristol
There’s a lot to look out for in the city over the summer including: the return of the popular Gromit Unleashed 3 trail featuring Wallace and Gromit, and Feather’s McGraw; Bristol Harbour Festival in mid-July; Feast On food festival on July24-27 and Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on 8-10 August.
For more information on Bristol and getting there see: Visit Bristol and GWR
