News / Broadmead
Saying farewell to a ‘pointless monstrosity’
A sail sculpture that has stood in Bristol for around two decades will soon be removed.
The sails and two empty food kiosks are in the way of remodelling plans for the area around Union Street’s junction with the Haymarket and the Horsefair.
Work is due to start on Monday as infrastructure for Bristol Heat Network is installed underground ahead of council contractors starting work to remodel the junction.
Changes will include reconfigured pedestrian crossings, adding a two-way separated cycle route, introducing a two-way bus-only route along Union Street and creating new public spaces.
The sculpture was commissioned by Bristol City Council and designed and manufactured by Architen Landrell, who call it “a dramatic sail feature to welcome visitors into the city’s main shopping district”; with a PVC-coated polyester fabric sail fixed to a large steel frame.
Architen Landrell describe the soon to be dismantled sculpture as “a striking installation and one which is well known around Bristol”.
But Stephen Williams, who now represents Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze but was a councillor for the city centre when the sculpture was first proposed, said it was a “pointless monstrosity”.
Former city centre ward councillor Stephen Williams called the sail sculpture a “pointless monstrosity” – photo: Martin Booth
Ed Plowden, chair of the transport & connectivity committee, said the upcoming changes are about “preparing Broadmead for the future”.
Plowden said: “As the city centre grows and more people make it their home, we need public spaces and streets that support everyday life, reliable bus services and safe, attractive ways to get around, while revitalising Broadmead as a thriving retail hub and cultural neighbourhood.
“Removing structures that no longer serve the area will give us the space we need to deliver a better connected, more liveable city centre.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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