News / Architecture
Exhibition to showcase Bristol’s brutalist buildings
Is Bristol a wonderland of post-war architecture and design?
The organisers of a free exhibition certainly think so, as they make the case for a renewed appreciation of our city’s brutalist architecture with photos, original art and illustrations, displays of mid-century furniture, and concrete models.
“People often talk about Bristol as a victim of post-war development,” says Tom Benjamin, one of the exhibition’s organisers and the editor of the Brutal Bristol zine which inspired the event.
“But there are many of us who find modernist and brutalist buildings beautiful.
“At the very least, they’re always interesting, and tell us so much about the history and development of the city.”
The former Premier Inn overlooking the Bearpit has now been demolished – photo: Martin Booth
The zines and exhibition focus on brutalist buildings such as Rupert Street car park, Clifton Cathedral and the recently demolished Premier Inn overlooking the Bearpit, once the headquarters of Avon County Council.
Another of the exhibition’s organisers, Andrew Eberlin, said he wants to challenge the idea that brutalist buildings are ugly, leading to them becoming endangered as towns and cities develop.
Eberlin said: “We hope that by photographing and writing about these buildings we can get people to look at them from new angles and appreciate them as an important part of Bristol’s landscape.”
The Brutal Bristol exhibition takes place at Sparks in Broadmead from October 8 to 12.
An event on October 11 will see the launch of the Bristol Modernist Society, with a guided walk taking place in the afternoon.
The shot tower on Cheese Lane is one of Bristol’s most unusual brutalist structures – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
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