News / Barton Hill
Artifacts salvaged from historic Barton Hill building prior to demolition
Items of local interest – and a Hank Williams record – have been salvaged from the derelict Barton Hill Tenants Association building before its imminent demolition.
It had been hoped that the once-thriving premises on Avonvale Road, which has stood empty for years, could be brought back to life, but the state of disrepair means it will be knocked down to make way for new flats and a community space.
Owner Bristol City Council has confirmed demolition of the historic building will get underway before the end of the month.
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Before the site is reduced to rubble, members of the Barton Hill History Group (BHHG) went inside to salvage a number of items of local interest, including an old cabinet display and events board, an initialled sign that once hung above the bar and a Courage Tavern half pint glass.
Before the site is reduced to rubble, members of the Barton Hill History Group went inside to salvage a number of items of local interest – photo: Alexander Smith
Bristol City Council took back control of the site in 2014 after its use as a social club came to an end – photo: Alexander Smith
BHHG member Alexander Smith said there are a number of vinyl records and what appears to be a large wooden cash register that he hopes to retrieve from underneath the stage in the hall of the former tenants association building, which was once a church.
Bristol City Council took back control of the site in 2014 after its use as a social club came to an end. Members of the community had hoped to see it revived as a much-needed shared space for people in the neighbourhood but it was deemed too dilapadated.
A competitive process led to Bristol Somali Resource Centre being the preferred bidder for a long- term lease on the land, which is due to be redeveloped with plans for community-led housing.
Smith, who is part of the steering group for the site’s redevelopment, says a piece of history will be incorporated into the new building.
“The current plans are that the hall will be demolished in its entirety and in its place a new community space will be built on the ground floor, with flats built above. They will be approximately six or seven storeys in height,” Smith tells Bristol24/7.
“The pennant stone from the existing hall will be salvaged and reused within the new build, so there will be some physical remnants of the old building included in the new. The steering group have also expressed an interest in seeing some of the items which were salvaged from the hall be installed in the new community space, so as to tell of the history of the site.”
The list of items recovered from the building before its demolition include a wall-mounted display cabinet, which is set to be repurposed for use in a nearby community space, a Barton Hill Tenants Association Club events board, a large key and a small statue from atop a darts trophy and a Hank Williams Lovesick Blues vinyl record.
It had been hoped that the once-thriving Barton Hill Tenants Association on Avonvale Road, which has stood empty for years, could be brought back to life – photo: Ellie Pipe
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Contractors are on site removing vegetation and taking down the roof by hand.
“We anticipate demolition to begin before the end of January.”
Main photo: Ellie Pipe
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