People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol Favourites: The Archdeacon of Pop
Archdeacon of Pop is a small record label and a man from Glasgow called Brian who has been living in Bristol since 2002. By day he posts people’s letters and at night plays drums in Plume of Feathers, Lonely Tourist’s full band and The Flatmates.
He also occasionally plays records – he is keen to stress that he doesn’t DJ – at Good Chemistry in William Street in St Philip’s, where he can be found over the August Bank Holiday weekend during the East Bristol Brewery Trail.
Here are his top-five Bristol favourites:
is needed now More than ever
Bristol’s micropubs and breweries
Where’s Brian?
“It’s a truly great time to be a beer-lover living in Bristol. Since the opening of my local, The Drapers Arms, the city has welcomed three more micropubs – Chums, Snuffy Jack’s and The Wooden Walls – while more and more local, independent breweries are cropping up. My favourite has to be Good Chemistry Brewery as, not only do they brew some great beers, they let me hang out and play records at the events they host at their GCHQ warehouse.”
Walking from Conham River Park to catch the little ferry boat over to Beese’s Tea Gardens
It costs just 50p to catch the Conham ferry over the River Avon to Beese’s
“You’re still in the very heart of the city but with the scenery and wildlife around you, you could easily think you were somewhere way out in the countryside. I never tire of the sights and the sounds along the river and the quirkiness of reaching Beese’s by means of a ricketty old boat.”
The Severn Beach Line
The Severn Beach Line passing through Montpelier
“Proof that if enough people campaign hard enough for a decent community railway line with a (semi) regular timetable and sensible ticket pricing, commuters will vote with their bums on seats and support the damn thing. Passenger numbers on the Severn Beach Line began to rise steadily after the train operator began putting on extra services at the right times of day. Take note, please, those who shape transport policy in Bristol. Imagine what could have been achieved in terms of cutting road congestion and pollution if we had the foresight and bottle years ago to re-introduce passenger trains to Henbury and Portishead and bring trams into the city?”
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market
“It’s brilliant to see so many diverse and interesting stalls”
“Just a great place to hang out on a Sunday, browsing through records on Pete’s stall and then eating great food and drinking beer. It’s brilliant to see so many diverse and interesting stalls, and there are also great women-led street food outlets such as Gopal’s Curry Shack and She Sells Sushi – my two favourites by far.”
There And Back Again Lane
“The cluttered back alley holds a special place in the hearts of many people around the world”
“It’s little more than a cluttered back alley tucked away behind Park Street but it holds a special place in the hearts of many people from around the world after it was immortalised by cult 1980s/90s Bristol-based independent record label Sarah Records who titled their final release, the Sarah 100 compilation CD, after the lane.”
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