11 Bristol landmarks ready for redevelopment

From eyesores which stick out like a sore thumb to hidden wrecks, Bristol has more than its fair share of lost buildings.

We look at some of the most neglected and derelict ones in the city and find out what (if anything) the developers have got planned for them.

1. Former Royal Mail Sorting Office 

What is it?

Let’s start our tour with one of the most obvious derelict sites in the city – the notorious former Royal Mail building behind Temple Meads.

The building and 2.1 hectare site was described by David Cameron as making the “entrance to the city look like a war zone”. The building has two large interlinked disused buildings – a 1930’s sorting office and an adjoining 1970’s office building.

What’s happening?

Bristol City Council bought the building last year as part of a multi-million pound deal to redevelop the area and build the Bristol Arena. There is currently a feasibility study into the building to see if it should be redeveloped or demolished.

2. Grosvenor Hotel

What is it?

A double whammy meets visitors who come to our fair city by train. Not only do they have the sorting office building to contend with, but when they leave the station they are faced with the ruins of the former Grosvenor Hotel.

The once-grand building was built in the 1870s, but it has been empty for almost a decade and was most recently used as a homeless hostel.

What’s happening?

Finally, plans to redevelop the building have been set into motion.  A planning application has been submitted for the building and the ground floor and basement could become a shop, restaurant, cafe or bar.

It also sits within the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, which has grand plans for the area turning derelict buildings and land around the station into homes, offices and new public squares. 

3. St Mary Le Port church

What is it?

One of Bristol’s most famous churches, St Mary le Port, in Castle Park, was added to English Heritage’s Heritage at Risk register in 2014.

The ruined building is described as an “archaeological site at risk,” which is “declining” with “extensive and significant problems”. 

The church, owned by Bristol City Council, is said to have been founded in Saxon times. It has been rebuilt and enlarged many times over the centuries.

On November 24, 1940 the church was bombed and all that remains now is the 15th-century tower hidden behind the former Bank of England building on Wine Street. 

English Heritage say the tower and the remains of the medieval church have suffered from vandalism and the walls are structurally unsound and in need of urgent repair.

What’s happening?

The site, including the church, has been identified for redevelopment for the best part of 15 years. Outline schemes were published in 2006 and former mayor George Ferguson reiterated his commitment to the area in 2013 (see below).

But with no concrete plans, the outlook for one of Bristol’s most iconic churches does not look good.

4. Former Bank of England Office

What is it?

The former Norwich Union and Bank of England buildings in the north-west corner of Castle Park have been a point of contention since they were built back in the 1960s.

An 11,500-strong petition came out against the construction at the time, but plans went ahead regardless. The site was only occupied for a few years before it became the derelict eyesore dominating the corner today. 

What’s happening?

Not a lot. In 2006, Bristol City Council announced its intention to redevelop the area to the west of Castle Park, known as the Maryle-Port site, but, faced with opposition to the scheme to reduce the park, the plans floundered.

They were revived again in 2013 by then-mayor George Ferguson who said he wanted to extend St Nick’s market into the park, but progress appears to have stalled.

In an unlikely turn of events the building has been used as the location for a number of feature films, including bank heist film Golden Years.

5. Ashton Court Gatehouse

What is it?

The Lower Lodge Gateway and former entrance for Ashton Court was built in the 1800s but has been derelict for some 50 years.

What’s happening? 

After securing funding in 2015 for a £1 million re-vamp, the lodge is being transformed into a learning facility for Ashton Park School and a community hub. According to @BS3gatehouse the covers are due to come off any time now.

6. This building in Portland Square 

What is it?

A building from the 1800s in the Grade 1 listed Portland Square in St Paul’s which was laid out in the early 18th century as one of Bristol’s first suburbs.

In an inauspicious start the original developer of the square went bankrupt before the square was finished and the area never really became the fashionable district that the developer envisioned.

The area was heavily bombed during World War Two and many of the buildings were left to rot.

What’s happening?

200-odd years on and many occupiers later, the derelict building in the north-east corner is being transformed into a boutique hotel in a sign of the times for creeping gentrification in the area.

It’s been a slow road to recovery for the square but the developers have finally seen the potential of the area and have moved in en masse. From luxury apartments to swanky Google-style offices, the area is on the brink of a huge transformation.

7. Seamen’s Church and Institute on Prince Street

What is it?

Admit it – you’ve probably never even noticed this poor derelict building on Prince Street. It’s hard to believe that the Seamen’s Church & Institute, which opened in 1880, was described in Arrowsmith’s Dictionary of Bristol (1884) as “in the Venetian style of architecture”.

“The decorations and the interior arrangements are exceedingly chaste, so much so that it is considered one of the prettiest of its kind in England,” it adds.

What’s happening?

There were once plans to turn it into a pub, but these were rejected. And so, derelict it remains.

8. The Carriageworks and Westmoreland House

What is it?

You can’t mention derelict buildings in Bristol without including the saga of the Carriageworks and Westmoreland House.

The grand Carriageworks building was built in 1862 and is Grade II listed. Westmoreland House is a later development which used to house the Reginal Pools Promotions.

The derelict site has been subject to various property wrangles and failed planning proposals and the twists and turns of the development have kept journalists busy for years. 

What’s happening?

Well, sometimes it’s hard to tell. Planning permission was granted in October 2015 after a hard fought public access and affordable housing debate between campaigners and developers.  

However, this isn’t formalised until an agreement has been reached by the developer to provide affordable housing and make payments towards various off-site works like road improvements. The landowner (Opec Prime/Comer Homes) has apparently still not signed on the dotted line. Where have we heard that before?

9. Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate Factory

What is it?

The  Elizabeth Shaw chocolate business was first founded in 1881, as H.J. Packer, in Armoury Square. Not surprisingly the chocolate business proved popular and the company moved to a newly-built factory in Greenbank in 1901. 

In 2006, faced with the high costs, the company relocated its manufacturing to factories in the UK and in mainland Europe, and closed the factory in Easton.

What’s happening?

The site has been bought by developers Generator South West and plans include 138 new homes made up of 91 flats and 47 new houses. Despite protests by residents, all but three original buildings of the factory have been demolished for the site which runs alongside the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.

A planning application, with zero affordable homes, has been submitted and is pending consideration by Bristol City Council.

10. Speedwell Swimming Pool 

What is it?

The pool closed down in 2005 and the building, which was designed in 1939, has become a target for vandals.

Hopes to restore the pool as a leisure facility have long since floundered, but there have been various residential plans for the site, with the community hoping that the original building could be retained.  

What’s happening?

Developers have put together plans to demolish the building and replace it with flats. A planning application is expected to be submitted soon.

11. Redcliffe Wharf

What is it?

Left derelict for more than 30 years, Redcliffe Wharf sits next to the main route into the Floating Harbour from Temple Meads.

The patch of open land is where the replica of John Cabot’s ship, The Matthew, was built and in the hot and heady days of 2007 an artificial beach was created.

Plans to regenerate the area failed in 2012 when the city council was accused of not following proper procedures for appointing its chosen developer. A subsequent public inquiry cleared the council.

What’s happening? 

London-based developer Complex Development Projects Ltd (CDP) now have plans for a flagship office building as well as cafes, restaurants, workshop units and apartments at Redcliffe Wharf.

This article was written by 14-year-old Bedminster Down pupil Hannah Millward.

Read more: Bristol’s worst eyesores