Bringing a beautiful hidden historic building back to life

For someone who also owns the Clifton Observatory and Clifton Rocks Railway, a refurbished office building in the city centre might be perceived as a strange choice for Ian Johnson’s latest project.

But Armada House is far from a typical office building.

Built in 1902 as the headquarters of Bristol Water Works, Armada House contains two fireplaces that are both more than 400 years old.

The finishing touches are currently being put to a rooftop bar as this historic building is once again brought to life as a unique events space.

Walk in off Telephone Avenue and you are immediately standing in front of a late 16th-century fireplace. Another chimneypiece on the first floor – accessed up a grand staircase that appears to be floating – is from around 1620.

The over-mantel of the fireplace on the first floor bears a later cartouche, ‘A.M.E 1700′, denoting Abraham and Mary Elton. Both chimneypieces came here from the Eltons’ house at 7 Small Street, now long since demolished.

This late 16th-century fireplace stands near the entrance to Armada House

This fireplace from 1620 also used to be in a home on Small Street

“We’re always looking for really interesting spaces in Bristol,” Johnson said on a recent afternoon as he gave Bristol24/7 a tour of all four newly-renovated floors of Armada House, just a stone’s throw from Baldwin Street.

The rooms are now available for hire, including three wedding spaces of different sizes, corporate space, offices and the soon-to-open roof terrace bar.

There is also a basement which Johnson has yet decided what to do with, although some early ideas have included perhaps a subterranean speakeasy or spa.

“It’s just about finding old unloved buildings and bringing them back to life,” said Johnson, whose day job is organising exhibitions and trade shows across the world, and who also owns The Wellhead in Finzels Reach.

“It’s a passion of mine. I just find the culture really interesting and it’s really satisfying just taking something that is completely unloved and falling apart, and just bringing it back to life and making it something that everyone everyone can use.”

Armada House is the latest project from entrepreneur Ian Johnson, with Clifton Rocks Railway next on his to-do list

With the rooftop bar hopefully opening before the end of the year, Johnson hopes to make Armada House “a central hub for everything that Bristol Venues and me and the team and trying to build, as well as having a base for us to be able to do more things”.

“It’s really rewarding. Sometimes you do a project like this and you think, okay, that’s it. But I would want to do so many more of these.

“I just love pitting my wits against a really difficult project and a difficult building and just trying to turn something around.”

Armada House’s rooftop bar could open to the public before the end of 2023

One of the downstairs event rooms, which both have their own bar

The sweeping staircase at Armada House is a stunning feature of the building

“This is an unloved corner in the centre of Bristol that no-one really knew about,” Johnson added.

“The roads and the side areas were a little bit grotty, and we want to make it something unique where people can go to and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t realise that was there’, after we have brought it to life…

“When I saw this building just before lockdown, I knew it was something that I could really get my teeth stuck into.”

Armada House on Telephone Avenue, designed by Henry Williams, opened in 1902 as the Bristol Water Works offices

All photos: Martin Booth

Read next:

• New restaurant opens in one of Bristol’s most famous buildings
• Clifton Rocks Railway to be brought back to life
• A coffee and a cake with one of the best views in the world

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