News / Old Market
Former pub to be turned into multi-purpose cultural space
Charlotte Philby moved to Bristol from London with her family in the middle of the pandemic and since then has finished her fourth novel and purchased a former pub.
The novel, published by Borough Press on Thursday, is called Edith and Kim and draws on the Secret Intelligence Files on Edith Tudor Hart, along with the private archive letters of Kim Philby, the infamous double agent who was Charlotte’s grandfather.
The pub at 17 Midland Road was called the Greyhound when it pulled pints from the 1940s to the 1960s, but is now just one of dozens of former pubs across Bristol that are almost forgotten.
It has been empty for more than five years and was most recently a charity office, but Charlotte and her husband Barney Beech, the co-director of graphic design company Burgess & Beech, have ambitious plans to transform it into something meaningful for the community of Old Market and further afield.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZFjPq9hhvt/
By buying 17 Midland Road, Charlotte and Barney prevented the building from being turned into flats.
“It’s like a scene of devastation and we have a long way to go,” Charlotte told the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast.
“But the idea is that we’re going to create a multi-purpose cultural space that will be available to some charities and some people who don’t have certain advantages in the creative industry.”
She added: “It’s about working with people as well. As a writer, I sometimes feel quite isolated and lonely… The idea is to be able to work collaboratively with people, and support people.
“It’s just a lovely thing to be part of. And creating a physical space is just so exciting.”
Listen to Charlotte talk more about Edith and Kim and 17 Midland Road on the latest episode of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Old Market named as one of UK’s coolest neighbourhoods
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