News / Pubs
Colosseum pub to be brought back to life by experienced team
One of Bristol’s most distinctive pubs is staying as a pub, with its new owners pledging to turn it into a “vibrant and vibey” late-night watering hole.
The Colosseum closed in June but is set to reopen in October following a refurbishment.
The new custodians of the Redcliffe pub built in 1968 are the team behind the Mothers’ Ruin and the Crown, with the Colosseum becoming part of the World Famous Dive Bars group.
is needed now More than ever
“It has a lot of charm and we will be trying to retain as much of that charm as possible,” World Famous Dive Bars director Marc Griffiths told Bristol24/7.
“I’m really excited to be bringing it into our group. It will be a really cool place to come with good food, high quality drinks and cocktails, somewhere you can relax late at night.”
Inside the Colosseum in December 2017 – photo: Martin Booth
The Colosseum will undergo a major refurbishment before reopening in October – photo: Martin Booth
Unlike the Crown within St Nick’s Market and the Mothers Ruin on nearby St Nicholas Street, there will be no live music at the Colosseum on Redcliff Hill but its 24-hour license means it will be open until as late/early as 4am in the morning.
Marc has also got plans for the future to open a roof garden which will have an unrivalled view over the Floating Harbour.
He also promises to keep the pub’s famous yellow lettering. “That sign is one of the most beautiful things in Bristol for me.”
The Colosseum as seen from the Quakers Burial Ground – photo: Martin Booth
Marc added: “We are the right custodians to take this building into the future and to secure its future as a drinking establishment and not luxury flats.
“It will be great to return the building into being a pub and to be part of its history.
“It might look like a big square box but how many other Brutalist buildings like this survive in Bristol? It’s one of the last bastions of the 1960s just sat there, and we can’t wait to turn it into one of our vibrant and vibey late-night venues.”
The Colosseum is a purpose-built pub that has been a pub since 1968 – photo: Martin Booth
The Colosseum closed in June but is set to reopen in October – photo: Martin Booth
The pub’s new owners hope to make more of its beer garden – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- Pub of the Week: The Colosseum
- New cash to be spent on long-delayed Redcliffe development
- ‘A House Through Time’ to focus on Bristol’s slavery past
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