News / University of Bristol
University accommodation renamed due to association with Colston
Originally built in the 1930s, Bristol’s former YMCA hostel was reopened by the University of Bristol as student accommodation in 2011.
It was named Colston Street after the road in which it is located, but like other buildings in the city associated with Edward Colston, it has officially changed its name.
The building – which suffered a serious fire in 2015 and used to have Budokan restaurant on its ground floor – is now known as Accommodation at Thirty-Three.
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According to Epigram, the renaming of the accommodation had been delayed after consultation with Bristol City Council revealed that the proposed new name was “not in an allowable format”.
A University of Bristol spokesperson told Epigram: “Following consultation and advice from Bristol City Council we are pleased to announce the new official name for this student residence is now Accommodation at Thirty-Three.
“The change has been made as part of our commitment to review relevant University building names and the University logo to ensure they reflect our current visions and values.
“We recognised that having the name of Colston associated with one of our residences might create an environment that could be perceived as unwelcoming to many students and wanted to take action to address this.”
Colston Street is also home to the former Colston Hall and the former Colston Tower, now renamed Bristol Beacon and Beacon Tower – photo: Martin Booth
A spokesperson for Bristol Students’ Union said: “We’re pleased that the accommodation has been renamed following lobbying from students.
“It’s disappointing that it has taken so long to do so and we hope the new name will soon be clearly visible for students on the website.
“We’re continuing to work with the University to look at the renaming of other buildings.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: ‘The very least we can do is not glorify slavers with street names’
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