Travel / Bristol
Is this former pub Bristol’s coolest Airbnb?
Scrolling idly through Instagram the other day, a photograph of a room bathed in sunlight caught my eye. Wooden shutters were hung either side of the window, books were piled high on a glass table and cushions were stacked neatly on a comfy sofa.
After a moment of realisation, I looked up from my phone: I was sitting in the same room.
This is 17 Midland Road, a former pub a stone’s throw from Old Market Street which is now a gallery space at street level and on the floors above, up some steep stairs, a three-bedroom Airbnb which I am confidently declaring to be Bristol’s coolest.
is needed now More than ever
The living room at 17 Midland Road has two comfy sofas
“There’s no television but there are plenty of art books to read,” said co-owner Barney to my two daughters when we arrived, about to enjoy a two-day stay just over a mile from our own front door.
These books include everything from the Impressionists to Gilbert & George (‘New horny pictures’) with more child-friendly reading material in a cosy room with a green bunk bed occupied by a cuddly koala bear.
The bunk bed room is under the eaves
Barney almost single-handedly transformed this dilapidated property into what it is today, with layers of different paint on some of the walls telling a story of the building that David Olusoga could easily weave into a future A House Through Time.
In the master bedroom are some photos that tell one of the most recent stories of this place including Liz Truss with an ‘I crashed the economy’ remote controlled banner above her head: a reminder of an exhibition held at 17 Midland Road from Led By Donkeys. Elsewhere on the walls are a few photos by Stephen Leslie who has also exhibited here.
17 Midland Road can sleep up to six people in its three bedrooms
With no television, we had to improvise and one evening enjoyed a family game of the ‘no mercy’ edition of Uno (complete with pick-up tens and worse). The following night, I popped into Gigi’s Pizza just a few hundred yards away on Old Market Street for some takeaway pizza by the slice and got some serious dad points.
If only we could have stayed for longer. And if we had been able to, there is a dishwasher and washing machine here among the myriad of artistic touches. Sitting in the room from the photo, I swapped my phone for a book.
For more information about 17 Midland Road and to book your own stay, visit www.17midlandroad.co.uk
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 edition of Bristol24/7 magazine
All photos: Barney Beech
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