Features / Lockdown 2.0 Diaries
Lockdown 2.0 Diaries: BS6 – Montpelier, St Andrew’s, Cotham and Redland
Clay figurines in a window of a Picton Street house each have a miniature mask on in an artistic nod to the current climate.
It’s an unusually quiet Thursday afternoon on this stretch of Montpelier. Gone are the crowds jostling for space in The Bristolian, where dining in has been temporarily replaced by takeaways that are available as a click and collect option. ‘Crofters Rights Summer Garden’ is written on a banner hanging over the fence of the corner plot opposite, which currently stands empty in the autumnal chill.
A car pulls up outside The Bristolian and the driver hops out to order a coffee from the designated hatch before heading off again to be replaced by a delivery van doing its rounds on the narrow street.
is needed now More than ever
Further down – past a window displaying a prominent cardboard #BLM sign – grocery stores and delis are open for business and a lone shopper in a mask waits patiently outside Radford Mill Farm Shop.
An artistic nod to the current climate in a Picton Street window
A pigeon loses its lunch to a seagull in Montpelier
A pigeon is merrily tucking into the leftovers from a discarded takeaway container just by the bike racks outside Picton Stores. That is until a determined seagull swoops down to steal the spoils.
Cheerful chatter can be heard from inside Oowee’s vegan outlet where preparations are underway for the teatime trade, but on York Road, the doors to Bianchis and Thali are currently closed and the Beaufort Arms stands quiet and empty.
Up on the hill, past the street art depicting DJ Derek (who knows what he’d make of these strange times) and rows of colourful garages, St Andrew’s Park remains at the heart of the community during lockdown.
Here, a toddler in green wellies and a matching hat is collecting leaves as she walks along, her mum trailing behind. It’s slow progress but as good a way as any to spend a sunny afternoon.
Views over Montpelier during lockdown walks
Stopping for a socially distanced catch up in St Andrew’s Park
As the church clock chimes 3pm, some dog walkers and residents join the queue – marked out with cones to aid social distancing – at the little kart offering takeaway refreshments, while children run excitedly to the play park gates.
A trio of friends make the most of the late afternoon sunshine while munching takeaway pizza from the box and, on a neighbouring bench, two people are deep in conversation, each perched at the far end of the bench to keep the space between them.
A queue for refreshments in St Andrew’s Park
A number of businesses are either temporarily or permanently closed on Zetland Road
Down the valley, crossing Cheltenham Road, a woman talks on the phone as she walks under the row of trees, past the mostly-closed shops and restaurants of Zetland Road. A ‘to let’ sign is in the window of a former plumbing business and a couple of students wait for friends outside the still-open Redland Stores.
It’s school kicking out time and the streets are alive with parents and children on foot and bike making their way home.
A train pulls into Redland Station
The sound of people talking and laughter rings down from Cotham Gardens, where a steady stream of people are making their way down Lovers Walk.
“Can I have an ice cream?” Asks one child, undeterred by the rapidly plummeting temperature.
Meanwhile, a teenager in the corner is proving how many pull-ups he can do on the bars by the play park.
Quiet scenes on Cotham Road
On Cotham Road, an empty shop window next to Tuck News is hand-painted with a thank you message to key workers and a man on an electric bike hurtles past on the otherwise quiet street.
On nearby Chandos Road, beer lovers can still buy their brews from Chums Micropub, which is open for takeaways with limited opening hours. The Costcutter on the corner is also open for business – and making it very clear that no cigarettes are kept on the premises overnight with multiple hand-written sides.
Standing on the corner of Chandos Road and Brighton Road, the ‘Hovis’ sign on the exterior of the premises once home to Redland Bakery remains, but the once-popular business stands empty – an early casualty of 2020 that closed its doors two weeks before the first lockdown and never reopened.
Redland Bakery was an early casualty of 2020
Read more: Lockdown 2.0 Diaries: BS5 – Lawrence Hill, Easton and Greenbank
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