Category: Documentary

In 1996, work brought me to Bristol or Brizzle as it sounds in the local dialect known as Bristolian. Listen here. Over the years I’ve really grown to like the place.  It is not too big nor is it too small and it has history. It can be linked to many significant events such as the discovery of North America in 1497 by John Cabot, the construction of technologically advanced ships including the Great Western in 1837 and the SS Great Britain that launched in 1843, blue glass production (known as Bristol Blue) and many nautical phrases such as Shipshape and Bristol fashion whose origin is rapidly fading into the mist of time.

Bristol sits on the Western side of England close to Wales. It has always had a sea port and to this day has strong trading links across the world.  Bristol is perhaps most well known for its links with the America’s, tobacco, slaves and pirates with Edward Teach aka Blackbeard being the best known.

In the 23 years I’ve lived in Bristol it has evolved and mostly for the better.  Take for example the harbour area which has almost completely been regenerated.  The derelict buildings that were a legacy of  a time when trading ships laden with goods used to sail/steam/motor directly into/from the city are gone, replaced with a vibrant area filled with restaurants, pubs and public spaces.  Somehow, a few old cobbled streets and buildings have survived though and these help connect modern Bristol with itself through time for us all to appreciate.  Modern Bristol is a mix of buildings from all ages;  the very old, through Victorian terraces, tower blocks and the very latest designs of stone and glass. 

Like all cities Bristol has had its troubles and darker times too.  More recently, St Paul’s had riots in 1980 and 1987, Hartcliffe in 1992 and Stokes Croft in 2011.  Time has, for the most part, healed those wounds but some signs especially of the 2011 trouble remain.  An example is the ‘Think Local’ and fading ‘Tesco’ on the side of a building close to the Tesco site and the centre for the 2011 unrest.

The majority of the photography in this post comes from the Stokes Croft area.  Today, it’s a wonderfully bohemian area filled with independent, free thinking people who are not adversed to doing things differently.  The area still seems to ‘Think Local’ and has many independent restaurants, clubs and shops.  It has been described as Bristol’s cultural quarter, conservation area and outdoor gallery.  I particularly like the idea of the latter.

In recent years Bristol has become known for its street art thanks, in part, to the artist known as Banksy. Banksy has placed many now famous paintings on city buildings.  Some think all such painting vandalism.  However, as you will see in this post and subsequent posts in the series, much of the painting is artistically strong, colourful and brings a vibrance and character to the area’s in which it exists.  Visitors come specifically each year to walk the city looking at the artwork.  It is a tourist attraction and an attraction that is forever changing as new work is placed over old.

Some of the paintings are huge covering a large proportion of a tower block, others are quite small.  Strangely, whether small or large its easy to miss many unless you happen to be some distance away, perhaps on the other side of a street.   Whilst walking you need to keep looking around as often they may be directly above you!

I hope you enjoyed part 1.  In part 2 I write about Bristol’s famous Lakota club and Full Moon club which both sit on the Southern boundary of Stokes Croft.

Andy

All images are Copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography.

The Full Moon pub and hostel sits at the Southern border of Stokes Croft and Bristol city.  Originally built in 1716 as an Inn, today it is still providing accommodation to travellers. It is one of the iconic landmarks in Bristol.   Today the building is colourfully painted with stars, galaxies, nebula and other cosmic scenes and is a true site to behold.  As seen in the photograph it is adjacent to a Stokes Croft boundary marker which claims the area to be a Cultural quarter, a Conservation area and an Outdoor gallery. The boundary marker brilliantly summarises Stokes Croft.

Almost next door to the Full Moon at No 2 Stokes Croft is the legendary Blue Mountain Club. It’s a stalwart of the Bristol club scene and its walls are brightly painted. Next to its door is a wall painting that epitomises Stokes Croft and makes a very visual statement about the exploitation of our planet for profit.

Agree or not with its message the artwork is great. A short walk away is Lakota. Lakota is the most know club in Bristol but like the Blue Mountain Club it has been through difficult times. Wikipedia says that in the nineties it was one of the most well known clubs outside of London. Fortunately it continues to survive. Named after a North American Indian tribe who where one of the three tribes forming the Sioux nation, it’s surrounded by some of the older roads in Bristol.

Moon St is one of those older roads. By modern standards it is a narrow lane just wide enough for a single vehicle but it retains its original cobbles. Today it looks a little forgotten, a little grimy and perhaps in need loving care by the city council but as a result it has character. Graffiti and plants jostle for position on the adjoining walls and just beyond the end of the street stands what some will know as the ‘Axa / Sunlife’ building after its former occupants but which is now known as the 51.02 building due to its latitude.

I spent some time in Moon St. taking photographs as there are layers upon layers of graffiti covering every brick, doorway and window in a rich tapestry of imagery. I was captivated by the combination of cobbles, double-yellow road markings, the graffiti and how the plants seemed to be gradually reclaiming the street.

On the other side of Moon St. were a couple of wheelie refuse bins. One was covered with graffiti and the other was more or less untouched. Like the litter that lay strewn around the bins I suspect it hadn’t been there long enough to get painted!  The bins and other photographs of Moon St. are included at the end of this post.  I particularly like the woman pushing a pram along the street.  Perfect timing. Click on them to enlarge.

Leaving Lakota by Upper York Street there is a large portrait of a woman with black hair adorning the end of a building.  It pays to take time and look at the artwork as there are often little things, humorous subtle things, which don’t immediately catch the eye. Look more closely at the following photograph, there is a woman with some sort of creature perched on a window ledge framed by the outline of an old brick window. Spotting this sort of small detail can be greatly rewarding. A gem hidden in plane sight!

The portrait must predate the graffiti which now covers its base and is thus a good example of how the paintings in Bristol change over time.  Some changes are for the good, others less so and some are simple vandalism. Take for example, the Break-dancing Jesus [Lots of pictures on the Internet] commissioned by the Canteen – a cafe/bar/restaurant/music venue. It was a fabulous painting; something you might expect to find in the Vatican, well, perhaps 🙂 Unfortunately, this was defaced not long after its completion. Some Banksy work has similarly suffered. The Naked Man painting on the wall of a sexual health clinic has been daubed in paint.

Some readers may be thinking there is something strange about Bristol, thinking that Bristol is some strange monochromatic city way out in the west country…  Well, no.  I can assure readers that aliens haven’t stolen all colour; all the graffiti and murals are immensely colourful, so colourful that I think they photograph best in black & white where colour doesn’t distract from the shapes and patterns.  Black and white also helps bring a darker feel to the photographs.  That’s my rationale anyway!

In the next part of this series I’ll walk past a Banksy, distracted by some great painting and murals, get off the beaten track and find lots of interesting graffiti.

Andy

All images copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography.