People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol Favourites: Iain Aitchison
Iain Aitchison is the founder and owner of Longwell Records which has recently moved to a new shop in the Clifton Arcade in Clifton Village.
After growing up in Southmead, Iain worked with people with substance misuse for many years and had a cameo appearance playing a pub landlord in The Outlaws.
These are Iain’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Watershed
The Watershed opened in 1982 – photo: Martin Booth
“My first memories of the Watershed are from the early- to mid-80s, going to the cafe with my mum after an AA meeting. She was in recovery, just getting off the booze, and those days the Watershed was the only place that would serve coffees and teas after 5 o’clock. Going there was magical because it was like being in a pub when you were a little kid. Obviously, I used to go to a lot of pubs when I was a little kid having a mother who was an alcoholic! But the Watershed was a cool place because of all the people who used to go there, especially on a Thursday night when there were always goths and punks, and weird and wonderful people. That was so different from Southmead!”
The Downs
“I played in the Downs Football League for Ashley FC for over 20 years. I was always late. More or less running on the pitch while putting my socks on every game. I loved the camaraderie, going to that changing room that is like the Tardis: tiny from the outside, massive on the inside. I played left midfield and was the penalty taker. I used to score a lot of goals, but only in the third and fourth division. Just amazing memories. I also love the Downs in general, especially my love and passion for Forwards festival. The field where the stages are is an area I have played football on over the years. It’s weird to think that I’m now running a stall selling records on that same field. I’ve made so many friendships over the years just from that patch of green land up on the Downs, not to mention all of the picnics with my family.”
Portishead Open Air Pool
A 33 metre heated pool overlooks the Bristol Channel – photo: Iain Aitchison
“I only learnt to swim properly about three years ago. I was terrified of deep water but wanted to prove that I could get over the fear of it. So I started off in a little pool, get my strokes together, breaststroke only. And then my wife, who’s a great swimmer and loves swimming, she suggested going to Portishead Open Air Pool which I’d been to quite a lot in the 70s before the dilapidation and all that. Spent quite a few summers down there. So for me to swim somewhere so beautiful and with the community there seemed amazing. It’s people who just want to have a nice time, help others and get fit. And you can look over the muddy shitty river over to Wales. It’s a beautiful feeling.”
Christmas Steps
Before steps were added in 1669, what is now Christmas Steps was a steep hill leading to the River Frome, down which barrels were rolled to be loaded onto ships – photo: Martin Booth
“As a kid, I’d get the 88 bus from Southmead, get off at the top of Park Street, walk down into town and then the world was your oyster. On the way back, we’d always get the bus up at the Clifton Triangle to get back to Southmead. We’d always go up Christmas Steps because at the bottom there was a chip shop and at the top there was a joke shop called Mad Arrows. Obviously, a lot has changed but what I love about Christmas Steps now as an adult is stuff like 20th Century Flicks. To keep that amazing business going within this modern world that we live in is just mind-boggling. You know you’ve got a good community there.”
The Nova Scotia
The Nova Scotia is a fiercely traditional pub – photo: Martin Booth
“Modern day pubs can be a scary place for me. I’m not saying just because of politics but now everyone’s political, and mixing politics and alcohol is a dangerous thing. But the Nova Scotia has always felt like a family place for me. I love going at the end of a dog walk around the docks. They used to do the wickedest scampi and chips. My family used to hate it because I used to make them come with me but they don’t like scampi and chips! The Nova Scotia is always a place where you see real Bristol legends; people who’ve been around Bristol a lot. I don’t know how to describe it; it’s like a youth club for old-age pensioners. It obviously means something different to everyone, but I love that it’s an old-fashioned pub with always a hint of coolness. It was always a great place to go and have a piss in Covid because no one else was open.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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