The reality of life in Bristol tower block

“It is a lovely view, isn’t it? It’s the one thing I will say that I have always loved about here is the location. You can’t do any better,” says Sean Potter as he looks out onto Bristol’s jutting skyline from the eighth floor of Waring House in Redcliffe.

The administrator has lived in a three-bed flat in the council-managed tower block all his life.

Sean’s parents moved here in the 1990s, a stone’s throw from the city centre: a modernist-style development, complete with community spaces and teeming with young families.

“Back in the day, it was not uncommon for residents to come out and give the landing a wash and make sure it was all nice. People took pride in it, and it was well dealt with by the council,” he said over a cup of milky tea.

“But over the years, it’s just slowly faded.”

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Sitting on the corner of Redcliff Hill and Commercial Road, Waring House, Francombe House and Underdown House form a u-shape looking onto a shared courtyard.

The complex opened in 1960, designed by Albert H Clarke, and is made up of 79 three-bed flats, which went for 64 shillings and 4 pence to rent per week including hot water, laundry and heating.

Like many estates in post-war Britain, Waring House was planned in a spirit of optimistic reconstruction, giving young families, like Sean’s, the freedom to live away from parents.

Today the buildings, which replaced a historic almshouse destroyed by bombing in the Second World War, are still managed by Bristol City Council, but many of the flats are privately owned.

But, as Sean tells his story of living in one of the city’s biggest council tower block estates, the 1960s dream-like visions of council block living is crumbling.

Sean Potter has lived in Redcliffe all his life

Now, Sean’s home faces problems with unresolved damp, mice and general dilapidation.

“On occasion, it just starts raining in the ceiling,” he tells Bristol24/7 as he gave a tour of the flat.

“Somewhere in here is a colony of mice. We’re trying to get them sorted but the council said it might want £100 quid to come and look at it. They live somewhere behind these cabinets.

“The problem is, when we report something to the council, we usually spend months going back and forth with them asking them to do something about it.

“The last time they actually did any major works on this building is so long ago, I was still at school.”

Bristol City Council admits that there remains work to be done at Waring House.

A spokesperson said: “The refurbishment proposals for Francombe, Waring and Underdown Houses are due to include significant refurbishment measures to renew the fabric of the building to make it more energy efficient and help us hit our ambitious climate goals, and reduce carbon emissions and heat loss.

“This is likely to include roof replacement and repair, window replacement, new walkway balustrades including replacing the glass screens to balconies, and new glazing to the stairwells.

“This will also be likely to include an external wall cladding system which will greatly improve the thermal efficiency of the building and reduce heating bills.”

They added: “Our housing services invest around £40 million a year to deliver planned maintenance and improvement projects to nearly 28,000 properties across the city. In addition to this we spend around £30 million per year of emergency response repairs.”

But Sean struggles to believe the council’s promises for Waring House, which was once the filming location Doctor Who, Hellboy and Rain Dogs, saying “it feels like we are being left to fall apart.”

“I just want to see an effort to restore what this was. It’s a great building and it used to be a decent place to live. Now it’s feeling like the only choice with the state of the rental market.”

Sean recognises that, given the pressure on the social housing system and demand for homes in Bristol, he and his family are unlikely to find somewhere else that’s more suitable any time soon.

Almost 18,000 households are currently on the waiting list for social housing in Bristol, and the list is growing rapidly as rents in the city become increasingly unaffordable.

The council’s website warns: “It’s very unlikely that you’ll be offered a council property because the waiting list is very long.”

“Even people with the greatest need often wait several years before they get a council property.”

A deadly blaze at council tower block Twinnell House, in Easton, lead to the death of Abdul Jabar Oryakhel in September

This autumn, residents of tower blocks and high rises in Bristol have undergone arson, hate crime and tragedy, causing some to look around their homes with a new sense of fear.

But Sean remains positive that life in a tower block does not have to be condemned, adding it could be “the most ideal way to live”.

“The council just need to give it some love. I think the community would respond to that, because people want to be proud of where they live.”

All photos: Betty Woolerton

Read next:

• Council announced new tower block safety measures in wake of deadline fire
• Residents ‘left in limbo’ as building safety measures remain unresolved
• Interview: Caitlin Shepherd 

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