Features / Bristol
Things you probably didn’t know about Bristol’s bonded warehouses
Bristol’s bonded tobacco warehouses were designed in 1903 by docks engineer WW Squire and built by William Cowlin & Son. All of the buildings are nine storeys high and 18 bays wide.
In Pevsner’s Architectural Guide to Bristol, Andrew Foyle calls the trio of warehouses “forbidding and bare, yet nobly proportioned”.
Tobacco imports were big business and the famous red warehouses on either side of the New Cut were built to store tobacco until duties had been paid.
All of the buildings are nine storeys high and 18 bays wide – image: Bristol Archives
A Bond was built first (1903-1906) followed by B Bond (1906-8). C Bond in Ashton (now Safestore) was the last of the three to be built in 1919; building work having been postponed by the First World War.
C Bond on Clift House Road is now Safestore – photo: Martin Booth
There is a fire watcher’s post on the roof of A Bond, which is used for storage by Bristol City Council as well as being a regular location for filming due to its secluded location.
B Bond – now the Create Centre and the home of Bristol Archives as well as council offices – was the first major English use of the Coignet system of reinforced concrete.
The drastic proposals include a reduction in opening hours at Bristol Archives search rooms, located in B Bond warehouse – photo: Martin Booth
Bristol Legacy Foundation have plans for a “cultural, educational and visitor experience” dedicated to the Transatlantic Trafficking of Enslaved Africans within B Bond.
An engagement process in autumn 2024 for the Western Harbour said that a future masterplan needs to consider how the bonded warehouses “can offer an opportunity for conversion into homes”.
The Western Harbour covers an area including Bedminster, Spike Island and Hotwells – photo: Bristol City Council
Join Martin Booth on a walking tour of the Old City and Castle Park. For more information and to book, visit www.yuup.co/experiences/explore-bristol-s-quirkiest-corners
Main photo: Martin Booth
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