Remembering the road severed in half by the M32

Lower Ashley Road, once home to a bustling stretch of businesses, was forever changed by the building of the M32.

Beginning in the mid 1960s, the M32 motorway was constructed over a decade, with the final section connecting to the centre of the city opening in 1975.

Like the controversial motorways in 1960s New York and Chicago that razed entire neighbourhoods, the construction of the M32 proved divisive, and was even described as ‘a dagger into the heart of Bristol’ by a BBC report from the time.

Lower Ashley Road was one area blighted by the opening of the motorway, as a roundabout severed the road in half, leading to the demolition of countless homes, shops and community spaces.

Using photographs from the Bristol Archives, Bristol24/7 spoke to members of an over-55s community group from Parkway Methodist Church to remember what has been lost.

Lower Ashley road used to be home to a variety of businesses (1971)  – photo: Bristol Archives

Valerie Astill, who grew up on Tudor Road just off Lower Ashely Road, remembers what the road was once like.  “When I was little, you’d have everything there, it was really nice,” she said.

“There were all the shops, a lovely furniture shop, a lovely wallpaper shop, bakers, butchers, plumbers, and a lovely dress shop.

“You just didn’t need to go anywhere apart from that stretch of the road.”

Today, on the same stretch, only the plumbers remains with the neighbouring site, once a cleaners, sitting empty.

George Jones & Bros, a bathroom supply store, remains on the stretch, while the neighbouring site remains vacant – photo: Maddy Hansen

Valerie also has fond memories of the old bakery: “There was the bakers shop, Banes, run by a nice couple Mr and Mrs Bane, on the corner of Newfoundland road.”

“It was lovely, really nice, they baked all the bread on the premises.”

The bakery was demolished to make way for the M32 – photo: Bristol Archive – 43960-1-1-0286

Today, the site of the bakery, on the corner of Newfoundland Road and Lower Ashley Road has been consumed by the M32 roundabout, leaving no connection between Newfoundland Road and Lower Ashley Road.

She added: “All of this all came to an end when the motorway went through. It just divided the whole community because there were people that side of the motorway and this side.

“It was so different, it was a real neighbourhood then but the motorway definitely split it”

Lower Ashley road used to provide an easy connection from St Paul’s and St Werburgh’s to Easton, shown here in a 1950s town planning map – photo: Bristol City Council

Today, the M32 roundabout cuts Lower Ashley Road in half, creating a division between the areas of St Paul’s and St Werburgh’s and Easton – image: Bristol City Council

Prior to the motorway’s construction, the road also used to be home to two churches.

Growing up, Valerie attended Brookland Church, and remembers its destruction.

“There was two methodist churches either side of Mina Road which was madness,” she recalls. “Wesley Chapel and Brookland.

“Brookland was the one I used to go to, the one I grew up in.

“For years the two of them operated, but there was never a lot of love lost between them considering it was two churches.”

Wesleyan Chapel – 1970 – photo: Bristol Archives, 43960-1-1-0183 

The Wesleyan Chapel in 1971, alongside the other buildings on the stretch, was demolished to make way for the M32 motorway, 1971 – photo: Bristol Archives 43960

“Wesley was knocked down first and they moved to us at Brookland for a year or so while the work started.”

The churches were given money from the city council and ministry for transport to build a new combined site for the two churches; now Parkway Methodist church on Conduit Place Road.

Main photo: Bristol Archives

Read next:

• This area of Bristol once had half a dozen pubs now has none 
• ‘A dagger in the heart of Bristol’
• Residents of busy road in Bristol say impact of clean air zone is ‘horrendous’

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