Bristol Open Doors.qxp_Layout 7 24/08/2020 12:18 Page 1
BRISTOL OPEN DOORS
If the streets could talk Some of Bristol’s remarkable stories that were once lost to history will be brought back to life this September as Bristol Open Doors returns with a decidedly outdoor twist to its much-adored annual festival
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ristol Open Doors festival is a highlight in the city’s jampacked calendar, with crowds from far and wide flocking to explore buildings and attractions that are not usually open to the public. In these unprecedented times, however, we were prepared to add the festival to the list of events that the pandemic stole from us this year. Or we were until the team of brilliantly creative organisers designed three specifically curated walking tours to celebrate the past, present and future of the city and bring people back together – safely – for another year of the festival. Running from 11-13 September, Bristol Open Doors is set to see visitors explore the hidden gems of the city’s most trodden paths and, with Bristol’s resident historians, poets and producers guiding them through, walkers will journey through time and space to uncover some forgotten truths. The three tours, 60-90 minutes long and titled Vibrant Bristol, Hidden Harbour and Temple Tales, will let groups of 30 walkers loose
on the city streets, with visitors able to view local buildings and spaces – spectacular inside and outside – and uncover secrets that even Bristol’s biggest fans wouldn’t know. Starting at The Architecture Centre, each tour highlights a different aspect that has shaped the Bristol we know today – bringing in some of the city’s most prominent voices to add in facts that might have been glossed over in previous renditions of the tales. Across the three days of the event, visitors are invited to download an app for their selected slot to experience an immersive guided tour of the city. Their smartphone, headphones and the power of geo-locations will guide them through a mesmerising journey of lost stories and longburied facts. • Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children; smartphone and headphones required. Safety is paramount, with tours capped at 30 people and social distancing strictly enforced; bristolopendoors.org.uk
Historic Bristol
Journey through time and space during Bristol Open Doors
In Historic Bristol: Through Time and Temple, the area we now know as Temple Quarter is opened up and taken apart. Exploring the surrounding parish and its roots with the clandestine Knights Templar, this tour looks at what was once a seat of power for the city. Bristol Open Doors asks just where that power sits today – as well as who was usurped along the way.
Learn about the city’s colour and history from resident historians, poets and producers
Vibrant Bristol
Hidden Bristol
Vibrant Bristol: Street Art and the Painted City will explore the city’s artwork and delve in to the role that street art plays in Bristol’s identity – narrated by Upfest’s Stephen Hayles. Listeners will uncover the stories behind the artwork, learn more about the city’s culture and remember the artists that put Bristol on the map.
Hidden Harbour: Stories of a Radical City is curated by city poet Vanessa Kisuule and journeys through 1,000 years of history, leading up to the 2020 moment that saw the statue of Edward Colston plunged into the harbour. Hear the stories, featuring No. 10 Guinea Street, hidden caves and M-Shed docks, of the people who built the harbour, those who worked there and those who live there now.
22 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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Uncover forgotten tales and hidden truths
SEPTEMBER 2020
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NO¯ 192
