Features / Lockdown 2.0 Diaries
Lockdown 2.0 Diaries: BS9 – Sea Mills, Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze
A couple of friends make a beeline for the Café on the Square in Sea Mills as the door is thrown open at bang on 11am.
There are already two men forming a queue outside the popular community hub, which is doing takeaway only during lockdown.
It’s a drizzly Tuesday morning and a far cry from the summer days that saw people spilling out over the green in the centre of the neighbourhood but the weather is no barrier for hardy children, who can be heard screaming with laughter as they whiz down the zip wire on the nearby park, parents clinging on for the ride.
is needed now More than ever
A handwritten sign on the noticeboard on the side of the café urges people to save the planet and pick up any litter they find, even if it’s not theirs. The message must have sunk in because there’s nothing to be seen across the grass other than a few stray autumn leaves.
The Cafe on the Square in Sea Mills is still open for takeaways
“Everybody’s either self-isolating or left,” says one woman to another, sharing classic 2020 work woes as they walk around The Crescent with small children in pushchairs.
Across the road stands one of the few museums in the city that can still be enjoyed even during lockdown. Here, vibrant red poppies form part of a Remembrance Day display, which can be viewed through the glass of the former red phone box that is now home to the minuscule Sea Mills Museum.
The hair and beauty salon opposite stand quiet and empty during lockdown, a reminder of the toll the latest restrictions are having on so many businesses across the city.
The play park is the go-to destination for children come rain or shine
The miniature Sea Mill Museum can still be enjoyed even during lockdown
Up the hill in Westbury-on-Trym, a labradoodle puppy is brightening the grey morning for many passers-by on Canford Lane – although this is making it slow progress for the owner.
“Oh, we just had to cross over,” exclaims a woman, kneeling down to pet the puppy. She’s the latest in a string of people unable to resist pausing to admire the cute canine.
The street is bustling with people heading in and out of the food shops to buy their essentials; a couple tuck into a hot takeaway coffee and roll from nearby Parsons Bakery as they wait with others at the bus stop and a man sitting outside Co-Op gives a cheerful greeting to people as they pass.
The fruit and veg shop is still open for business in Carlton Court
It’s a quiet scene in Carlton Court though, where all businesses bar the Co-Op on the corner and Sarah C fruit and veg are closed for lockdown.
Over on Westbury High Street, scattered leaves blow past people queuing outside the banks in the area marked out by red and white barriers to aid social distancing. A man carrying a small parcel walks purposefully into the Post Office, which remains open for now but a large ‘to let’ sign indicates the imminent changes that will see all services relocate to within Canford News from early December.
Barriers are in place to aid social distancing on Westbury High Street
Residents are making the most of local grocery shops in Henleaze
Past Redmaids High School and the deserted Henleaze Bowling Club, Henleaze Road is alive with people going about their daily business. Here, shoppers peruse their options in the fruit and veg shop and bakery, while one man pauses for a quick chat as he waits for his goods behind the counter in Molesworths of Henleaze. A chalkboard just outside urges people to order their organic turkeys ready for Christmas.
Further along, on Northumbria Drive, all is quiet but for the steady stream of traffic and one or two people heading into Waitrose. No films are advertised on the Scott Cinema board, but instead a message: “Stay home, stay safe. See you on the other side.”
There are no films to promote during lockdown
All photos by Ellie Pipe
Read more: Conversations at the Cafe on the Square
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
