News / Development
Demolition begins at Redcliffe Wharf
Some of the last vestiges of Bristol’s dockside industry are currently being swept away to make room for a long-delayed new development.
Demolition has begun at Redcliffe Wharf, which has planning permission to be transformed into flats, shops, offices and workshops.
Once the remaining derelict buildings are demolished, the Redcliffe Wharf development is due to take shape over the next few years and be finished by July 2027.
There will be new mooring facilities and a ferry landing, with two of the buildings set to be replicas of historic buildings on the site – image: Alec French
The new development is on the historic site where it is thought that John Cabot’s ship The Matthew was built, with the replica also constructed here.
The site was an early 18th-century glassworks, using sand mined from Redcliffe caves.
One building on Redcliffe Wharf backing onto Redcliffe Caves has already been demolished – photo: Martin Booth
Trenchard Street-based Alec French Architects, who have also worked on the Bristol Beacon and Wapping Wharf, say that Redcliffe Wharf is “possibly the most sensitive site the practice has worked on”, having been involved in the scheme since 2006.
“The site is owned by Bristol City Council, who set a high bar for design quality for their ‘jewel in the crown’ of waterfront sites.
“Achieving a commercially viable scheme has been very challenging. We now have planning permission for 45 apartments, an array of retail /restaurant units and an office building arranged in six buildings, two of which are replicas of the now derelict buildings at the rear of the site.
“Half the site is given over to high quality public realm, and there are moorings and a ferry landing.
“A new pedestrian route is provided through to the Quaker Garden, on the vista line between Queen Square and St Mary Redcliffe Church.
“A contemporary wharf character is given to the architecture, with many of the buildings being clad in timber with slate roofs.”
The mixed-use development across six buildings promises to be “an important milestone in the evolution of the wider Bristol harbourside” – image: Alec French
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
