News / Harbourside
‘Deeply distressing’ tagging begins to blight newly listed building
One of Bristol’s most distinctive buildings currently sits unoccupied and is becoming increasingly blighted by graffiti and tagging.
Canon’s House, also known as the Lloyds building, was built between 1988 and 1991 and was listed at Grade II in 2022, with Historic England praising the “monumental and distinctive harbourside landmark” which led the regeneration of the area.
When it received its listed status, a rare accolade for a post-modernist building, the then minister for heritage, Nigel Huddleston, said that listing buildings “recognises and protects their special architectural or historic interest for future generations to enjoy”.
But the granite which forms the base of the building and the precast white concrete have most definitely seen better days as Canon’s House awaits redevelopment into “top-specification offices”.
Tags now cover almost every area of the side of the building overlooking the Lloyds Amphitheatre.
Canon’s House overlooks Lloyds Amphitheatre – photo: Martin Booth
A concerned local resident whose flat overlooks Canon’s House told Bristol24/7: “Since Lloyds vacated the building, it has become a magnet for vandalism and extensive tagging.
“It’s heartbreaking to see a Grade II listed landmark, once so well-maintained, fall into this state of neglect almost overnight…
“I’m concerned that unless something is done soon, this iconic building will be irreparably damaged.”
She added: “The building appears to be neglected and vulnerable to further vandalism, which is deeply distressing to those of us who care about the preservation of this prominent Bristol landmark.”
Graffiti and tagging is beginning to blight the building – photo: Martin Booth
Investment company Kinrise appear to have renamed Canon’s House as Canons Wharf.
They promise that the building will be become a “destination workplace… reawakened as an exceptional place to work, taste and be”.
Their plans for the building include a rooftop terrace and venue, leisure and retail, and outdoor landscaped spaces.
In an email, Kinrise co-founder Samuel Lawson Johnston told Bristol24/7: “We’ve been cleaning it regularly and have instructed more cleaning.”
Canon’s House is made up of the distinctive ‘banana’ and ‘doughnut’ buildings – photo: Buckley Gray Yeoman
Main photo: Martin Booth
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