News / Cafes
Historic vaulted chambers to become new cafe
One of the few surviving pieces of Bristol Castle is set to become a cafe.
The vaulted chambers in Castle Park is the only part of the castle to still survive above ground. The building is thought to have originally been the entrance to the castle’s great hall.
Incorporated into a house on the corner of Tower Street and Castle Street in the 1660s, it was a Boots shop in the 1930s and was briefly a cafe in the early 1980s.
is needed now More than ever
The vaulted ceiling over the two rooms known as the vaulted chambers is formed by a series of interconnecting carved stone arches – photo: Martin Booth
As first reported in Bristol24/7 in 2019, the historic building could now be getting a new lease of life as a cafe run by Bristol City Council.
An advert for a full-time chef on the council website describes the job as needing “to deliver fantastic café food and exceptional customer service”.
A castle existed in Bristol from at least 1088 and by the 1200s it was one of England’s largest royal fortresses.
The successful applicant for the chef job will predominantly work in the vaulted chambers, but also could be required to work at other council-owned cafes including at Ashton Court and Blaise Castle.
The council owns eight cafes and kiosks across Bristol, with the income used to help fund the cost of maintaining the city’s parks and green spaces.
The vaulted chambers are now overlooked by the new Castle Park View tower – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: How stonemasons are bringing the past back to life at Bristol Beacon
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