Bristol Life - Issue 299

ISSUE 299 / MAY 2021 / WE’RE ALL GOING OUT AGAIN!

10

OUTDOORS EXPERIENCES TO TRY!

DAY TRIPPER

GOING OUT IS THE NEW STAYING IN

GYSPY HACKS AND INSOMNIACS

BRISTOL’S NIGHTHAWK HEROES

BLING IT ON

THE SPRING JEWELLERY EDIT

PEACE TALKS

MEET THE BRISTOL UNI LECTURER MAKING LITERARY WAVES

POINT BREAK

ISSUE 299 / MAY 2021 / £3

LINE OF BEAUTY

SURF’S UP AT EASTER COMPTON

CURVES IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES: A HOME IN THE PARAGON

EDITOR’S LETTER

D

64

Beauty on a back street

Ever gazed up at The Paragon and thought, I wonder what one of those houses looks like inside? You’re welcome...

uring the first few years of this magazine’s life, we always had a house on the cover. To be fair, this was back in the noughties, when everyone was obsessed with property, and talked of little else.

These days, we only afford that honour to the most exceptional homes. The kind that make you want to rush out and buy an extra lottery ticket. A six-bedroomed house on The Paragon, for example, with a spacious private garden, lazy lanes down the Gorge, and terrace views all the way to Dundry; turn to page 75 and pray there’s a rollover this weekend.

Still, the best things in life are often free, or at least come with a relatively affordable price ticket; and with this in mind we’ve devoted most of this issue to a bunch of treats, days out and outdoor experiences to keep you busy and happy until the next phase of grand reopenings. Could this be the year that you finally nail stand-up paddleboarding, or climb to the top of Cabot’s Tower? No, me neither; but then I’m a bit wimpy like that.

Anyway, to hark back to the top of this column: back in 2004 when we first launched this magazine, it was a very different beast to the one you’re leafing through today. Bristol’s a different city, too. How much has changed since then?

Apart from the rise to world domination of sourdough, obviously?

Find out in our next issue, which just happens to be our 300th. Expect anniversary features, a soupçon of nostalgia, plenty of celebration, and... OK, I’m busking here. It’ll be good, though...

DERI ROBINS Follow us on Twitter @BristolLifeMag Instagram @BristolLifeMag

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 3

Issue 299 / May 2021 COVER Paragon of beauty: a home in one of Bristol’s loveliest and most unusual terraces

GET OUT!

10 DAY TRIPPER Going out: it’s the new staying in 16 TRY THIS 10 top ideas to get you out of the house 21 BARK LIFE Is it a park or is it a country estate? Yes.

16

THE ARTS

23 ART PAGE Joe Simpson’s still stuck up the Andes 24 WHAT’S ON Just look at the way the local scene’s 26 30 33 34

opening up

PHOTOGRAPHY On the waterfront, 1970s style BOOKS Peace talks STORYSMITH The armchair tourist BRISTOL HEROES Nighthawks

FOOD & DRINK

38 FOOD AND DRINK NEWS A smörgåsbord of the

local scene, course by course

40 RECIPES The puntastic Tempeh Meades, and

All About the Cooks

45 CAFÉ SOCIETY Sipping on the dock of a bay

SHOPPING

9

46 EDITOR’S CHOICE Bling for spring 49 FASHION Ready or not, tie-dye’s back

GREAT ESCAPES

50 SURF’S UP Point break, or Pointless?

BUSINESS

53 BRISTOLWORKS The big Crumbs Takeaway, the

Bristol Life Awards shortlist, and more

PROPERTY

63 PROPERTY NEWS Building Bristol 64 THE HOME FRONT It takes a village to raise a child,

and it takes many different sectors to create a property scene (or something like that) 75 SHOWCASE The Paragon. Isn’t it iconic?

REGULARS

21

7 SPOTLIGHT 9 BRIZZOGRAM 82 BRISTOL LIVES Ben Smith

It’s the ultimate outdoors issue! TOP; Say Yuup to SUP; MIDDLE: Clevedon by Neil James @neiljamesb; BOTTOM: Ashton Court by Louis Smith @studiowhisk

Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors Colin Moody, Stan Cullimore, Milly Vaughan, Storysmith, Elle Redman Advertising manager Neil Snow neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk New business manager Craig Wallberg craig.wallberg@ mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Jake Horwood jake.horwood@mediaclash.co.uk Production/distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager/production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Bristol Life MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help. Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 5

SPOTLIGHT Festival

PRIDE IN THE CITY

Chloe, with Erin in centre

Bristol Pride returns in all its rainbow-coloured glory this summer after a year of taking the programme online.

The fortnight runs 3-16 July, with Pride Day taking place on Saturday 10 July. The Pride Parade will go ahead as in prepandemic years, but ending up in Castle Park instead of the Downs., with a pedestrian crossing on Wine Street being painted with the Pride flag in its honour.

Expect the usual heady delights during the fortnight, from comedy to circus, theatre nights and the dog show, and an cabaret aftershow at O2 featuring queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Keep an eye on the website for updates: bristolpride.co.uk

Filming

Marvin having it large in 2019

BRISTOL ON THE BOX

Another busy month for Bristol Film Office, with four major new dramas – Showtrial, The Girl Before, Chloe and The Long Call for ITV – all beginning filming in the city.

“It’s a clear indication of Bristol’s appeal to producers right now,” said Laura Aviles, senior film manager for the council. “Bristol is continuing the exceptionally strong levels of high-end TV production we saw in the first quarter of this year well into the second quarter, bringing welcome benefits to local crew, facilities and service companies, and creating numerous other knock-on benefits to the city’s economy.”

Look out for a couple of recent Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduates among the casts; Bristol Life spies Pearl Mackie in crime drama The Long Haul, and Erin Doherty in psychological thriller Chloe.

Other titles currently in production include Stephen Merchant’s The Offenders, starring Christopher Walken; teen spy thriller Alex Rider starring Vicky McClure; Sky Original thriller Extinction starring Paapa Essiedu. and Becoming Elizabeth starring Alicia von Rittenberg.

For more: bristolcityoffilm.co.uk

Arts

BRISTOL UNITED

The Bristol United Guild is a new not-for-profit community interest company, set up to support Bristol’s freelance and independent creatives in the wake of the pandemic. It’s already received support from some of the biggest names in Bristol arts, from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School alumnus Daniel Day Lewis to Massive Attack, Tricky, Maisie Williams, Stephen Merchant, Idles and Portishead.

The first proposal of the Guild is to create the UK’s first citywide Business Improvement District, which would see successful businesses pay a small percentage levy of their business rates to aid community projects.

“As established Bristol artists, we can see the danger now of a lost generation of creativity,” said Rob del Naja of Massive Attack.

“We want to invest in unlocking potential and expression, and vitally, to encourage Another great independence.” excuse to show a pic of Maisie with her ARC rescue dog

Leisure

LOVING THE ALIEN

Permission has been granted for a new attraction at We The Curious.

The plans for Arc Bristol, a glass viewing pod that soars 79 metres in the sky, were unanimously approved by the council, despite objections from Historic England that the sight of its ‘alien shape and structure’ would ruin views of Bristol Cathedral – an opinion not shared by the cathedral’s dean, incidentally.

The solar-powered device will take up to 42 passengers at a time on a 20-minute scenic flight in a pod attached to a pivot in Anchor Square. It’s estimated that the Arc will attract up to 330,000 visitors a year, boosting the local economy by over £13m.

Possibly not one for the acrophobics, but IKB would have loved it.

For more: arc.global/bristol

For more: bristolunitedguild.org www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 7

SPOTLIGHT

COAST DEF

From kiss-me-quick Weston, to genteel Clevedon, to Portishead’s yacht-bristling marina, it takes less than an hour to get to the seaside – which we do like to be beside . . .

@daviiies

@_richardford_

@kymgrimshaw

@sameastfilm

@neiljamesb

@carolyn.eaton

@dylanchannon

@l14ope

@paddyo.11

@pod16

@eliza_moreland

@zfjsutton

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 9

PARK LIFE © @E XPLOREWITHISHAQ

Going out is the new staying in – and with over 400 parks and green spaces to choose from, you’re hardly short of options...

Brandon Hill.

Views for days...

10 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

DAY TRIPPER

© KEN ADL ARD

Expect the weird and wonderful at Hauser & Wirth. This tree-head guy is from Henry Taylor’s current exhibition

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 11

© UNIVERSIT Y OF BRISTOL

Steel sculpture Follow Me was created in 2019 by Jeppe Hein in Royal Fort Gardens to mark Bristol Uni’s centenary. Look out too for Hollow by Katie Paterson, made from tree samples from around the world

C

ome rain, come shine, or unseasonal snow, we’re limited to socialising outdoors until mid-May. The good news is that Bristol has over 400 parks and green spaces to play in, with hundreds of others just a short drive from the metropolis.

We don’t have the time, space or (frankly) the inclination to list the lot, so here’s just a reminder of a few favourites.

ARNOS VALE CEMETERY

“Can you really call yourself a Bristolian if you’ve never puffed up the 100 spiral steps of Cabot Tower to admire the view? ”

An 45-acre Arcadian landscape, dotted with classical buildings, historic monuments, sweeping carriage drives, and leafy walks lined with wildflowers. It’s one of the UK’s best examples of a Victorian garden cemetery, and still used for this purpose, along with many community events from performance to exercise classes; it’s also a vital steppingstone in Bristol’s wildlife corridors, connecting wildlife separated by roads and buildings, such as foxes, badgers, owls and bats.

Look out for... The fairy doors at the bottom of many of the trees.

an unpaved road from Brislington or, by far the nicer option, across the river by ferry; the shortest crossing is from Hanham, just on the other side of the river.

Did you know? You can catch a Bristol Ferry boat to Beeses from the city centre; some trips include meals and drinks in the ticket price.

ASHTON COURT ESTATE

BRANDON HILL

Bristol’s own country park, laid out by Humphry Repton. There’s a manor house, deer parks, a pitch-and-putt, miniature railway, mountain bike trails and a courtyard café; the Court also hosts the annual Balloon Fiesta.

Did you know? It was voted the Travellers’ Choice Award by Trip Advisor in 2020.

BEESES TEA ROOMS

With its bucolic riverside setting, Bristol’s bestkept secret (no longer!) can only be reached via

12 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Can you really call yourself a Bristolian if you’ve never puffed up the 100 spiral steps of Cabot Tower to admire the panoramic view across the city? Back down on terra firma there are fields and kids’ play areas, and the nature conservation area opened by David Attenborough in 1980 – a pioneering example of urban conservation.

See if you can spot one of the most famous benches in Bristol; it’s the one Cassie and Sid sat on in the first (and best) generation of Skins.

BRISTOL ZOO AND WILD PLACE PROJECT

Both owned by Bristol Zoological Society, but currently at two separate locations – which is all set to change in late 2022 when the historic Clifton-based Zoo Gardens moves up to merge with Wild Place at Blackhorse Hill. We’ll be running a big profile of them in our next issue, so look out for that then.

Did you know? Wild Place is the only zoo in the UK where wolves and bears live together.

CLIFTON OBSERVATORY

With views of Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Gorge, and a lovely little café on the roof, this is easily the best spot in Bristol to watch the mass ascents of balloons at the Fiesta. There’s a camera obscura, too, and a narrow little tunnel that ends in a viewing platform that’s the stuff of acrophobic nightmares.

DAY TRIPPER

Hey! Did you know that Wild Place is the only enclosure in the UK where bears and wolves live together?

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 13

DAY TRIPPER Did you know? The building used to be a windmill, with proper sails and everything.

DURDHAM DOWNS

Too obvious, you scoff? Well, pardon us for breathing. So let’s just give a nod to those 400 acres of greenery, the views down the Gorge from Sea Walls, and leave it at that.

Did you know? It’s almost definitely the best place in Bristol for kite flying.

LEIGH WOODS

On the south-west side of the Avon Gorge, this tranquil 380-acre wilderness is both a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. It’s an enticing mix of ancient broadleafed woodland and walking trails; at golden hour, sunlight filters through the trees in the most instagrammable fashion.

Did you know? Leigh Woods is an avian magnet, and home to bullfinch, marsh tit and song thrush. Peregrine falcons and ravens also breed in the Gorge.

QUEEN SQUARE

Hardly a hidden gem, but it would have been rude to leave out this historic bit of sward, given that Upfest have just kindly painted a fresh set of social- distancing hearts for us to sit in. You’ll find more hearts over at College Green and Castle Park.

Did you know? The Square was built in 1727; the Queen it’s named for was Anne.

ROYAL FORT GARDEN

One of our favourite inner-city sanctuaries; owned by the University of Bristol, but open to plebs like us. The grounds offer classical buildings, mature habitats, trees, a small pond, and public art – Follow Me and Hollow.

Did you know? The garden was originally created in the 16th century to defend Bristol as a civil war fortification; hence the name.

summer fair returns in June, with four music stages, the Samba Procession, street food and what is popularly known as ‘family fun’.

ST WERBURGH’S CITY FARM

STOKE PARK ESTATE

A chance for urbanites to get their rural on, with a menagerie of farm animals, a farm shop (possibly selling some of the animals you met on a previous visit), a café that looks as if it’d been dreamed up by a Middle Earther on acid, a picnic area, adventure playground, allotments and community events.

Did you know? St Werburgh’s City Farm’s

The one with the mustard-coloured Dower House on the top of the hill; a Grade-II historic parkland occupying a prominent position on the eastern flanks of Purdown.

There are 260 acres of open space and woodland, a fishing lake, a dew pond, whatever that is, a World War II anti-aircraft battery, and a hermitage tunnel.

Did you know? Stoke Park was historically used for grazing; recently, goats have been helpfully nibbling the scrub that’s grown up around the Purdown Gun Battery. Cattle are due to return (*checks diary*) this month.

TROOPERS HILL

© WAYNE REID @FREEWHEELIMAGES

A quiet retreat and a haven for wildlife, the former quarry three miles east of the city centre offers 21 acres of heather-and-broomcovered hillside, rocky crags and those distinctive chimneys.

Did you know?: Legend has it that the ghostly voices of soldiers who camped here during the Civil War can still be heard from time to time.

Worth leaving town for…

DYRHAM PARK

If Grade-II National Trust stately homes set in 270 acres of ancient parkland, with sweeping valleys and deer parks are your bag, and it’s really hard to think why they mightn’t be, head over here at once.

Did you know? The 17th-century mansion is an understandable hit with the makers of

14 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

page 14: Top, Beeses,

bottom, Leigh Woods.

© W W T REBECCA TAYLOR

this page clockwise: Slimbridge, Ashton Court, Arnos Vale

SLIMBRIDGE

One of just nine Wildfowl and Wetland Trust centres in the UK, with thousands of birds, mammals and rare amphibians, both local and exotic. Full feature coming soon.

Did you know? It’s the only place in the world where you can see all six species of flamingo.

So there you have it: just a few of the hundreds of ways to get outdoors this month; all ideal as picnic spots, too. Have we left out your favourite? Feel free to write in in a huff. . .

HAUSER & WIRTH

It’s amazing what you can find at a sleepy town in the Somerset countryside: a worldclass garden and art gallery with a core belief in conservation, education and sustainability, for example…

The site’s garden, described as a field of dreams, was created by internationallyrenowned landscape designer Piet Oudolf.

A riot of colour and natural beauty, the perennial 1.5 acre meadow garden sits behind the gallery buildings and includes a changing programme of outdoor sculptures.

Did you know? There’s always some fascinating thing or other going on in the adjacent gallery; the current work on display is by American artist Henry Taylor.

OLD DOWN COUNTRY PARK

Old-school country fun, with an adventure playground, parkland, farmyard animals, a lake and a rustic barn café in a former stable.

Did you know? In Pets’ Corner, children can meet rabbits, guinea pigs, pygmy goats, Shetland ponies, alpacas, llamas, chickens and turkeys – and Kevin the resident peacock.

PUXTON PARK

An all-weather adventure park within 40 acres of countryside in Weston-super-Mare.

Awarded the Quality Rose Marque three years running by Visit England, the park has a stateof-the-art indoor play barn, a pets’ village, falcon centre, top-rated restaurant and farm shop selling local produce.

Did you know? There’s a regular calendar of events, featuring performers and craftspeople who run workshops, shows and so on.

© @ALIIGOULD

period drama; one of many examples being The Remains of the Day.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 15

SAY YUUP Love doing local stuff? Love supporting local businesses? You’ll love Yuup, then…

Isn’t it Ironic? Literally, yes; this seagull mural was created by Boe x Irony at Upfest 2018. It remains a local favourite

16 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

TRY THIS

O

ne of the freshest ideas to come out of lockdown, new online marketplace Yuup is all about promoting local leisure experiences.

Offering practically everything you could conceivably want to do in Bristol, from arts and crafts to exercise to eating and drinking, it’s a one-stop fun-shop – and also a win for the local economy, helping local businesses and individuals to create new opportunities and find customers, while creating new jobs.

Yuup’s goal is for over 90% of its experiences to be run by Bristolbased independents and people sharing a skill or a side hustle; it also works with community-led partnerships to ensure the offering is inclusive of Bristol’s rich and diverse culture.

There are currently an astonishing 177 different experiences to choose from; some of it may be stuff you’ve always fancied giving a go, such as stand-up paddleboarding, or modelling your own Morph, while others are more niche – ever thought of trying your hand at sheepherding? We’re especially intrigued by those which combine multiple delights; ‘yoga with pastries’ sounds like a winner to us.

With fun currently being limited to outdoor pursuits, we chose nine lockdown-proof activities to see you through the months, along with one to look forward to later in July.

1PADDLE BOARDING, £25-£35

Whether you choose the taster session or the two-hour harbourside adventure, you’ll learn all the strokes you’ll need to get moving. You’ll be paddling away in no time, as you glide insouciantly past some of Bristol’s most famous sights and the envious eyes of landlubbers.

2STREET ART TOUR, £25

Take to the not especially mean streets of Bedminster to discover the stories behind Upfest, Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival.

As you admire each piece, you’ll hear about Bristol’s street-art story and learn how Upfest grew its international reputation, to the point where it now attracts the world’s greatest graffiti artists. As you dip down side streets and navigate the main drag, your guide will reveal some of the festival’s lesser known art along with globally acclaimed big-hitters.

Little extras: Every guest will receive a limited-edition sketchbook and Posca pen.

3SHEEP HERDING, from £79

Get your Gabriel Oak on! Professional shepherd Chris and his dog will share their herding secrets as you work together as a group to persuade the sheep into the pen. As you’ll soon discover, each sheep has its own personality, from the leaders of the flock to the tame handreared. There’s also a herding and wool-spinning experience, at £96.

Little extras: A digital set of action photos to show your mates.

“We’re especially intrigued by experiences which combine multiple delights; ‘yoga with pastries’ sounds like a winner to us”

The Josh tour coming soon, see 10

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 17

TRY THIS

4HARBOUR HISTORY, £9

8CRIME AND CRINOLINES, £100 (GROUP OF SIX)

5FORAGING AND WILD COCKTAILS, £65

9FIRE COOKING WORKSHOP, £85

6

10LOCAL FOOD TOUR AND TASTING, £140

As you venture along the waterways, starting at Queen Square and finishing at Underfall Yard, you’ll learn the fascinating history of Harbourside and its importance in the development of Bristol as one of Britain’s leading port cities. You’ll discover how the floating harbour was created, and have your socks blown off by the engineering masterpieces that still dominate the Bristol cityscape.

Spend a day immersed in nature in private woodland, foraging for wild ingredients and creating a wild tipple. Led by a professional forager (now there’s a job we wouldn’t mind), you’ll discover how to safely identify wild ingredients and how they can be used to create a range of syrups, bitters and infusions for a wide range of cocktails, from nettle margaritas to elderflower spritz.

BALLOON FLIGHT, £140-£350

The ultimate Bristol experience, no? £140 bags you a place on a shared flight, but if you want the balloon to yourselves, (with the pilot, obviously, it’s not self-drive), it’s £350 per person.

Little extras: A champagne toast at the end of the flight.

7CARNIVAL FITNESS, £8

High energy! Led by the very lively Brice, you’ll try out new dance steps and fitness moves on Clifton Downs. All abilities welcomed; bring good vibes only.

A new walking experience from Show of Strength, revealing the extraordinary stories behind the elegant facades of Clifton. A jilted barmaid’s brush with death, a runaway empress, the only forger sentenced to death to keep his head and have it on a banknote, and the Georgian terrace that housed the Holy Grail: Clifton will never look quite the same again.

You’ll cook over an open fire, forage for your own wild ingredients, and share a late lunch surrounded by beautiful woodland. Your hosts will be the two Hannahs: Hannah Morris from Wild Folk and Hannah Thomas, a chef, baker, forager and recipe developer who has worked as a chef at The Ethicurean.

(From July). Chef and local legend Josh Eggleton takes you on a tasting tour of his favourite haunts, from North Street to Wapping Wharf. You’ll stop at Bristol Beer Factory, Mark’s Bread, Rare Butchers, Spike Island Cafe and the Bristol Cheesemonger, while ending up at Josh’s own restaurants at Cargo, Root and Salt & Malt, to taste some specially prepared dishes.

Little extras: Two fresh oysters and an oyster knife to take home with you, along with a bag of coffee. ■

For all of the above, and a whole lot more, book at yuup.co/experiences

Reach the best in the west Affluent, active and influential and just a call away

Bristol Life team 01225 475800

Celebrate Bristol with us…

Bristol Life #300 looms. Let’s talk: neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk

BARK LIFE STAN CULLIMORE Deer, an ice house and that large head statue thing: Ashton Court has it all, and more

I

t’s a strange old world out there. I don’t just mean right now, which as we all know, is stranger than a guinea pig wrestling a chihuahua.

No, I mean, in general. Life is strange. Take Ashton Court Estate for example. The perfect place for a bit of Barklife. A dog walkers dream

© LOUIS SMITH @STUDIOWHISK

come true.

But is it really a park? Hmm. Surely it’s too enormous for that. It seems far too big and blousy to be just a humble old public park, like all those other municipal spaces. And yet.

And yet. When it was first put together, it was all done for the benefit of one single, solitary family. The Smyths. Which is even stranger than guinea pig wrestling, to my mind. Luckily for all of us, the Smyth family ran out of luck, along with excuses to keep the place to themselves, some time ago. So these days, we mere mortals get to enjoy the playpark of their dreams.

Huzzah.

It would be very easy at this point to pull out the soapbox and start an ill-tempered rant against the aristocratic elite. However, rather than go down that tempting avenue, I am heading off on another tack altogether.

The path of gratitude. The lavender trail to contentment. Because no matter who, what or why, the main thing is that Ashton Court exists and I am just grateful. Eternally glad that it sits so close to hand. Always there when you need a dose of country. So, thanks to all concerned.

Along with thousands of other folk, ever since I have lived in this fair old town of ours, this green wonderland has provided my family and I with a whole hatful of fantastic memories. With countless sweet spots to choose from within its wide ranging boundaries, from deer parks to the half-hidden ice house, those memories are a kaleidoscope of happy hours and happy days. Times to be cherished as we drift on by in this vale of tears.

Years ago, we used to drive across the Suspension Bridge, park up at the top by the

golf course and stroll around, dividing our time between the miniature train track to the kiteflyers and that large head statue thing that stares down towards the mansion house. Always taking the dog with us, obviously.

Later on, when the kids were old enough to be left home alone, we used to head over for various music festivals. The sort where the fun was edible, folk were friendly and when the time came to walk back across the bridge, there was a man acting as a human traffic light, on the reasonable grounds that if we all walked across together it would be too much weight for the bridge to bear.

Ah, happy days indeed. Can’t say I remember too much detail about them. But since that was partly the point, I’m not complaining.

Fast-forward a few years, and we are still clocking up the smiles. Over the last year, whenever possible, we have wandered over that way for family meet-ups, with picnics, treeclimbing and woodland adventures on the menu.

Had another one just the other day, with a clutch of small children and a gaggle of excited dogs.

The sun shone, the kids played and the dogs frolicked round our feet like giddy geese in search of daffodils. All in all, it was yet another fabulous memory. thanks to the loveliness of this great green theme park.

We ended up sitting on steps next to the big house, which the kids renamed Sausage & Custard Castle, for fairly obvious reasons. (The chimneys and the colour.) To make things even fabber, the café was open. The one that lives where the stables used to be. The kids got ice creams, the dogs got treats and the adults got coffee to go.

Ah. Good old Ashton Court, never lets you down. Magical memories don’t get much better than that. ■ For more: stancullimore.com

“Luckily for us, the Smyth family ran out of excuses to keep the place to themselves some time ago” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 21

THE ARTS S N A P S H O T S O F B R I S T O L’ S C U LT U R A L L I F E

PEAK PERFORMANCE

What happens when you look death squarely in the face – and how do you find the strength to crawl back towards life?

That’s the premise of Touching the Void at Bristol Old Vic this month, although you could easily imagine some histrionic theatre manager uttering similar words in a post-lockdown board meeting.

As the oldest continuously running theatre in the English-speaking world, BOV knows a thing or two about survival. Fires, wars, bombs, pandemics – it’s seen them all off. It seems appropriate, then, that they should be reopening the theatre with one of the greatest human endurance stories of all time: Joe Simpson’s near-death experience on the freezing peaks of the Siula Grande.

Touching the Void was a huge hit for director Tom Morris when it first premièred in 2018, thanks to its nail-biter of a plot – the impact oddly unaffected by the fact that we all knew the outcome – and its imaginative staging. But this is no run-of-the-mill run; it’s both live and live-streamed, allowing viewers at home to experience the show from every angle.

“The plan is to use all the digital techniques we’ve learned over the last year to make, essentially, a live blockbuster movie-style show,” says head of comms Amanda Adams. “Yes, it’s ambitious – but we can’t come back with something safe, right? It’s going to be multi-camera, 3D-sound design – all simultaneously live-broadcast into homes across the planet, as the actors try not to die on the mountain set in the theatre in front of a real-live audience too.”

So if you’re in the audience, do try not to cough; they’ll be able to hear you from Aberdeen to Albuquerque.

Touching the Void plays Bristol old Vic between 26-29 May bristololdvic.org.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 23

WHAT’S ON 7 May- 7 June 2021

ART

conversation with Keiko Higashi, online at Arnolfini, arnolfini.org.uk

ANDY NEWMAN An exhibition of Andy’s strong, graphic prints, many of them featuring Bristol landmarks, at Southmead Hospital; organised

by Bristol’s NHS Fresh Arts programme. fivebargatestore.myshopify.com

Until 31 May

Ongoing

Until 9 May

168TH OPEN EXHIBITION The RWA’s Annual Open is finally, well, open, with a wide variety of work from emerging and established artists to admire and buy; rwa.org.uk

Until 16 May

KATE SHOOTER: THE VIOLET HOUR That Art Gallery reopens with paintings that examine the final days of six great writers – partly figurative and partly abstract; thatartgallery.com

Until 30 May

TALKS | ART IN THE CITY – HEATHER AGYEPONG Heather appears in recorded

JO SPENCE: FROM FAIRY TALES TO PHOTOTHERAPY Drawn from one of the most comprehensive collections of Jo Spence’s works in the world, and focusing on the intersection between arts, health and wellbeing. Online; arnolfini.org.uk A PICTURE OF HEALTH: WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM HYMAN COLLECTION An exhibition of contemporary women photographers, featuring autobiographical perspectives and social commentaries; online at Arnolfini, arnolfini.org.uk

From 18 May

BRISTOL PHOTO FESTIVAL The inaugural festival shows at various Bristol galleries; see also selected events on these pages; bristolphotofestival.org

From 18 May

IN PROGRESS A collection of solo exhibitions

24 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

by five of the most innovative photographers and photo-based artists working today; Laia Abril, Hoda Afshar, Widline Cadet, Adama Jalloh and Alba Zari. Part of Bristol Photo Fest. At RPS, rps.org ISLAND LIFE Photos from the Martin Parr Foundation, this time at Bristol Museum and Gallery; part of Bristol Photo Fest. Also showing: James Barnor: Ghanaian Modernist, and Lips Touched with Blood by Sarah Waiswa bristolphotofestival.org

19 May-5 September

VERONICA RYAN: ALONG A SPECTRUM The largest solo exhibition to date by the artist, comprising new sculptures and assemblages that combine a wide range of materials and techniques; Spike Island, spikeisland.org.uk

20 May-29 August

CHLOE DEWE MATHEWS: THAMES LOG From the source of the river Thames to its mouth, Chloe has photographed people enacting a range of rituals and routines at

the water’s edge; at Martin Parr Foundation, martinparrfoundation.org

22 May

WE THE CURIOUS: PROJECT WHAT IF? Everyone’s favourite science centre reopens with a unique exhibition based on the curiosity of a city (ie, this one); wethecurious.org

5-6 June

UPFEST Subject to licence, funding and Covid security etc etc, Bristol’s biggest street art fest plans to return.

The weekend is based at Greville Smyth Park and the Tobacco Factory, but an extended programme will see artists taking to the streets, during preceding weeks; upfest.co.uk

SHOWS Until 8 May

OVERFLOW A hilarious and devastating tour of women’s bathrooms, produced by Bush Theatres, with internationally acclaimed writer and one of the UK’s most prominent trans voices, Travis

WHAT’S ON opposite page:

The only way is up: Touching the Void at BOV Lolly Adefope brings the lols to Comedy Garden; I thought I saw Liz Taylor and Bob Mitchum in the back room of the Commercial by Graham Smith at Bristol Photo Fest; please don’t eat the oranges: Pouch by Veronica Ryan at Spike Island clockwise:

an hour of epic spoken word, music and comedy, headlined by Fringe favourites Harry & Chris; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk ‘Burgerz’ Alabanza. Online at bristololdvic.org.uk

Until 29 May (selected dates)

SHERLOCK IN HOMES: MURDER ON ICE Sharp Teeth require your crimesolving expertise at a remote exploration outpost deep in Antarctica, for an interactive Zoom murder mystery; thewardrobetheatre.com

10-23 May

LADY BLACKSHIRT A feature-length experimental film from dance troupe Impermanence, looking back at the growth of modernism in the early 20th century.

Online; bristololdvic.org.uk

20-22 May

CARESSES Boomsatsuma’s Bristol School of Acting leads the reopening of the TFT with their production of Sergei Belbel’s play, in which emotional fragility, passion and danger make for a compelling and dark social satire; tobaccofactorytheatres.com

26-28 May

THE PLACE AT THE BRIDGE Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory is back, with a new reimagining of Shakespeare’s sonnets, exploring our relationship to the city and each other through the stories of five contemporary characters. Live and online; tobaccofactorytheatres.com

26-29 May

TOUCHING THE VOID Bristol Old Vic reopens with a revival of the five-star show that went on to wow the West End; performed live again in Bristol and beamed online across the world. bristololdvic.org.uk

2-6 June

BRISTOL COMEDY GARDEN Not in the Queen Square big tops, but at open-air shows on The Downs, ft. the likes of Simon Amstell, Sara Pascoe, Dara O’Briain, Nish Kumar, Bridget Christie, Tom Allen and Josh Widdicome; bristolcomedygarden.co.uk

3 June

HARRY & CHRIS Raise the Bar is back at St G’s, with

MUSIC 18-19, 25-27 May, 1-3 June

CANDLELIGHT Work by the world’s greatest composers, from Mozart to Vivaldi to Beethoven, performed by candlelight; at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. feverup.com

24 May

CATRIN FINCH, SECKOU KEITA & VISHTEN Welsh harpist Catrin, Senegalese kora maestro Seckou Keita and powerhouse multi-instrumental trio Vishten add up to one of the most popular world music acts of this decade; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

29 May

JIMMY WEBB The Grammy-winning, Motowntrained composer who gave us Wichita Lineman, MacArthur Park etc brings both songs and stories from working with some of the greatest names in pop, country, r&b, disco

– you name it, Jimmy’s written for them. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Currently rescheduling:

BRISTOL FOLK FESTIVAL Eyes on the St George’s Bristol website for updates, though to be honest the 2022 fest is looking more realistic. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

OTHER Ongoing

SHOW OF STRENGTH The theatre walks are back, from Crime & Crinolines in Clifton to Blood & Butchery in Bemmie; check website for full list and times; showofstrength.org.uk

Until 31 May

BRISTOL WALK FEST The popular fest returns with Covid-secure digital excursions, a variety of walking routes and activities for all ages, interests and fitness levels. bristolwalkfest.com

8 May

JULIAN BAGGINI: THE PHILOSOPHICAL TIMES Join St George’s resident big thinker in your own home for his regular look at philosophy behind the headlines; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk n

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 25

ON THE WATERFRONT What, no Cargo? JEM SOUTHHAM’s 1970s photos of the derelict docklands show a very different Harbourside to the one we know today . . .

26 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

B

ristol harbour, 2021. Vibrant, buzzing, teeming with life. Bars and restaurants spill out onto terrace tables, the water so close that it reflects back the glitter of sunshine and gives you a tan. Old warehouses, factories and cranes, cleaned up – never tarted up, it’s not a theme park; heritage harnessed as history. Many of the buildings repurposed into arts or leisure centres.

Now throw it back to the late 1970s. The derelict wharves stand as a ghostly reminder of the time when Bristol ruled the waves. The glory days of the shipping industry are long gone; the wharves wait patiently to discover what the town planners have in store for them. As they wait, photographer Jem Southam captures this moment in time for posterity, and now, over 40 years later, you can see the results at an outdoor exhibition at the Bristol Photo Festival.

The photos present a unique and definitive portrait of the harbour at a time of rapid change. Jem’s grandfather, Harry Cottrell, spent his working life in the Bristol docks as a shipping clerk, overseeing the arrival, unloading and distribution of goods from his office in Queen Square. As a result, when Jem began work at Arnolfini in 1977, the docks held a special meaning for him, despite his knowing very little of them or their workings.

“One day, I watched as a large shed was torn down across the other side of the quay,” he says. “I went over with my camera and took some pictures, and as I was doing so realised that the whole of the dockland was going to shortly experience a similar fate. Here was a project

PHOTOGRAPHY

“The city had turned its back on the docks. They were run down; only a few surviving industries hung on”

clockwise from page 26: Redcliffe Wharf and Welsh Back, 1978; Unloading the Harry Brown, Hotwells sand wharves, 1978;

Hotwells Road, 1978; Crane, Redcliff Quay, 1979

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 27

PHOTOGRAPHY

“It was always the plan to show some of the pictures in Bristol, well after many people’s memories of what the docks once were had faded ”

Jem Southam was born in Bristol in 1950. His work is housed in major collections including Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Museum Folkwang, Essen; and the Yale Center for British Art, Newhaven. His work has been the subject of numerous international solo exhibitions, notably, Tate St Ives, V&A in London and The Lowry in Salford

waiting for me, and for the next four to five years I photographed the whole of the Floating Harbour.

“The city had, at that time, turned its back on the docks. They were run down; only a few surviving industries hung on. They were almost deserted, and I would spend my Sundays cycling and walking around, rarely meeting a soul. A plan quickly formed to make an archival record of the landscape and remaining architecture of the Floating Harbour.

In my imagination, I broke the docks up into a series of different sites, sometimes defined by their use, sometimes just a geographical coherence, and made studies of each one of them.”

The sites Jem photographed included Bathhurst Basin, Welsh Back, Cumberland Basin, and Narrow Quay, alongside cranes, the pump houses and the bridges. Studies were made of individual buildings and their settings, and then further pictures were made of these buildings into the wider landscape. The pictures were all made in black and white using an old-fashioned plate camera, and over the course of the project, approximately 1000 negatives were exposed.

“It was always the plan to show some of the pictures in Bristol, long after many people’s memories of what the docks once were had faded,” says Jem. “It’s a pleasure to be participating with the Photography Festival in displaying some pictures outside in the docks themselves.” n The Floating Harbour by Jem Southam shows at Underfall Yard 20 June – autumn 2021, as part of the Bristol Photo Festival bristolphotofestival.org

28 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

top: Crane stanchions, Albion Dockyard, 1978; bottom: Railway Station, Canos March, 1978

TALKS

Born in Liberia and raised in Ghana, Dr Peace Adzo Medie is a senior lecturer in gender and international politics at the University of Bristol. And now she’s written an internationally acclaimed first novel…

Words by Elle Redman

xxxxxx

© SYLVERNUS DARKU

PEACE

P

eace has been an avid storyteller since she was 10 years old. Last year, she released her debut novel, His Only Wife, which follows the life of a young seamstress in Ghana, and illuminates what it means to be a woman in a rapidly changing world.

Influenced by her academic research, the story explores the minefield of modern life in its many taboos, pressures and power relations.

In Peace’s own words, then...

His Only Wife is about a young woman who finds herself in an arranged marriage organised by her mother-in-law. She’s been given this really difficult task of winning back a man for his family and getting him out of the clutches of a woman who they don’t approve of. The biggest aspect of the story is her journey of trying to find her voice and being heard in a very complicated situation.

I drew inspiration from many places, including my research in gender studies. Over the years, I’ve found that society, family and friends play an important role in the decisions a lot of women make. In my work on violence against women in postconflict countries, specifically in Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, I speak with women who say, “I was in a relationship which I was unhappy in, but you know, my mother, sister or friend convinced me to stay.” It really got me thinking about why as people, and particularly as women, we enter into relationships. So, it was

BOOKSHELF something I wanted to explore outside of my research.

I’ve been writing for many, many, many years, long before I began my academic research. I started writing when I was 10 years old, not so much because I wanted to become a writer but because I ran out of books to read. I was a very voracious reader, and the local library could not keep up with me; I got frustrated waiting for new books to arrive in, so I started writing my own.

Along the way, I found that I enjoyed writing almost as much as I loved reading. When you write, you can surprise yourself. I used to think I knew exactly what was going to happen with the characters in the book, but similarly to when you’re reading a novel yourself, there are twists and turns which you don’t expect. In the same way, my characters would surprise me.

I still remember many times I’d be writing and almost shouting at the characters saying, “Stop, don’t do that!” or “No, no, no, I don’t approve”. Writing, a lot like reading, is an escape into another world, and it’s not always how you predict. Anyway, I went to university and graduate school, but didn’t have the time to read and write as much there because the academic workload was just so demanding.

When I finished up my PhD, I picked up writing again and started on the novel.

The book was written between 2013 and 2017; at the time, I was teaching at the University of Ghana. I used to work early in the morning and wake up at around 4am or 5am in the morning to write fiction. Then, later in the morning, I would switch to writing non-fiction, go to teach or go into the field to conduct interviews for research. Of course, I would spend a lot of time over the weekends writing the novel and other short stories, too.

The novel has been acquired for the screen, so fingers crossed. We’ve been going back and

“I started writing when I was 10 years old – not because I wanted to be a writer, but because I ran out of books to read”

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS...

Who inspires you the most?

My great-grandmother. I never met her, but she was an amazing woman who, among other things, held key roles in our community that were traditionally only held by men. I wish I had met her, and I would have loved to write a biography about her.

That would have been amazing.

What do you like to do to relax?

I walk to the Downs and along the waterfront with colleagues. Even before lockdown, walking has always been my thing.

THE PLOT: Afi Tekple is a young seamstress whose life is narrowing rapidly.

She lives in a small town in Ghana with her widowed mother, spending much of her time in her uncle Pious’s house with his many wives and children. One day she is offered a life-changing opportunity: a proposal of marriage from the wealthy family of Elikem Ganyo, a man she doesn’t truly know…

forth for a little while about whether it will be a movie or TV series. It hasn’t been finalised yet, but I think we’re looking more in the direction of a TV series right now. I’m so excited. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who have said, “Oh, I just love this character, and I would love to hear more about them,” and I think that’s something you get to do in a TV series, right?

You can extend the book, and provide more of an in-depth insight into the character’s lives, particularly the ones who didn’t get a lot of spotlight in the book.

I hope to publish many more books. My second novel has already been written and sent to my publisher. I’m also co-authoring a book with a colleague at the University of Ghana, which is about women in politics.

When people seek out Ghanaian history, it’s almost as if women didn’t play an important role. The book is partly to rectify that, and show the key role that women have played in Ghanaian history from pre-colonisation, to the era of colonisation, and of course, postindependence. So, that’s my current academic project that I’m really excited about. ■ His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie is published

by Algonquin Books, RRP £14.99 h/b

Tell us a surprising fact ..

I write lying down. In fact, almost the entirety of His Only Wife was written from my bed.

For me, it just doesn’t feel right working on a novel while sitting at a desk, so I have to lay it out!

Describe yourself in three sentences Firstly, curious. I’m constantly fascinated and learning new things. Secondly, hopeful.

I always look for the good and believe things will get better. Lastly, I feel a really strong connection and close tie with the place I grew up in, and where my extended family live.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 31

EMILY & DAN ROSS STORYSMITH BOOKS

The armchair tourist Suffering from frustrated wanderlust?

There’s an ideal antitode to be found in the pages of a book...

B

efore we opened a bookshop, we fed our wanderlust as much as we could.

Broadening the mind, the palate and the travel insurance claims became something of an obsession for us, and we would plan our year around the trips we aimed to take. And while opening a bookshop has been perhaps our strangest and most delightful adventure so far, along with a global pandemic it does mean that our travelling plans since have been slightly curtailed. Salvation comes, as it always does for us, in the shape of books: you can still trot the globe thanks to these sensational new reads…

Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton When she was 21, Polly Barton moved to Japan to sate her obsession with this mysterious and impenetrable nation. She ended up becoming a literary translator, and this scintillating and pleasingly organised book is her attempt to catalogue the most important and personally resonant words and sounds in the Japanese language. Chapters have titles like, ‘hiya-hiya: the sound of recalling your past misdemeanours’, and each one is a delicate gem to gaze upon, a mix of

“Chapters have titles like ‘hiya-hiya: the sound of recalling your past misdemeanours’”

witty memoir and treatise on the function of language. We often talk about the transportative power of books, but rarely is the writer so immersed in the culture of the subject.

We Run The Tides by Vendela Vida In 1980s San Francisco, the relationship of two young best friends is put to the test after a single pivotal event as they walk to their exclusive all-girls school. This gloriously nostalgic coming-of-age novel taps into some truly delicious tensions: small-town gossip, the bond of friendship when the world around you is irretrievably changing and, at the heart of it, the idiosyncratic paranoia of being a teenager.

Vibrating with the Californian heat, we found this rocket of a novel impossible to resist.

Notes From An Apocalypse by Mark O’Connell Fresh out in paperback, the first thing to say about this book is that it is not as bleak as its title.

For anyone who’s been wringing their hands about the general downturn in global positivity and the growing sense of woe, Mark O’Connell is here for you. He feels the same, and he’s spoken to doomsday preppers, environmentalists and even billionaires who are buying up the world’s most idyllic and sustainable land for themselves to ride out the apocalypse. Surprisingly, there is hope to be found - and some dark laughter among the gloom.

Bear by Marian Engels It caused a minor literary scandal when it was first published in Canada back in the ’70s, and

Marian Engel’s provocative novel still packs a punch with this beautiful reissue, just out this month. A reclusive librarian lands a solitary assignment in a dusty and remote estate in the North, but soon enough an ursine visitor, the titular Bear, moves into her life in the most unexpected ways. If you’re prepared to go with it (and not everyone will be), there is a meaty and ambiguous story to enjoy, a unique reading experience.

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando Finally, one that we just have to mention. Every year, the Jhalak Prize champions the very best in books written by non-white authors, and this year is no different. When the organisers got in touch with us asking if we’d like to help champion one particularly brilliant novel for young adults, Danielle Jawando’s And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, we couldn’t resist. There are so many things to love about it, from the way it sensitively approaches its subjects without ever being patronising or over-dramatising, to the beautifully woven evocations of everyday life (how many novels do you see mentioning Poundland?). It’s too soon to pick a winner, but you know where we’re placing our bets…

If you’re managing to get away this summer then chances are it’s not on the more exotic end of the global travel spectrum, and so we ask you: shouldn’t your reading be as broad and encompassing as your wanderlust?

Storysmith, 49 North Street; storysmithbooks.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 33

1

“And the joker on the wall laughs at us all, with our Deliveroo lagers pre-chilled from the ever-ready supermarket land of plenty...”

NIGHTHAWKS “There’s a rendezvous of strangers around the coffee urn tonight... all the gypsy hacks, the insomniacs…” (Tom Waits) Words and pictures by Colin Moody 34 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY

N

ightclubs. In the snug, with the taste of cocktail on your lips, and time for a photo while your partner gets another from the bar... yes, actually walking up to a bar, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Look at him go . . .

1

2 3

And while he gets the drinks in, you wait. While here in today land, we all wait. It’s been long enough for the memory of it to become historical. And the joker on the wall laughs at us all with our Deliveroo lagers pre-chilled from the ever-ready supermarket land of plenty, as we all ache for this; for the memory thins, it needs reality red-light top-up moments if we are to keep the faith. Of chance moments with strangers in the dark. As easy as the breath that we take.

While we hold on just a little bit longer.

2

A shed at the bottom of the garden made glorious by its piped-in power and heat, a perfect place to lay down a few tracks. Dubkasm vinyl previous creations on the wall, while a new track is being forged into binary in the corner.

Back in yesterday land, this was part of the heady mix of creation pumping from Bristol out of bass speakers, but now it’s so much more than that; it’s keeping the dream alive.

Risk-averse mindsets settling in around the globe with freshly antibacterial sanitised dreams. Dreams stopping at the screen in front of them. But not while the music veins are kept pumped. Every track, every layer added is a good thing. Every high and low peak on the software screen runs like a heart monitor. The patient is doing well. Keep listening.

3

4

“We don’t do that anymore” she said. Rave on Avon in the street. Savvy young souls climb over everything in sight, testing the limit of where they end, and finding through the collective that it’s nowhere near the end of their toes or the tops of their heads. When they discover that this world and all that is in it belongs to them, on one glorious night of discovery, a seed is planted.

And in years to come, one or two souls here might be a major employer in the city, hosting music events, festivals, running a series of cool bars that pop up in unusual hip locations. The Guardian may well come, drawn by the scene, to do an article about this cultural Bristol phenomenon, pocked full of quotes like “...Bristol has a scene like no other...” and “...these enterprises keep popping up in this place in all sorts of glorious unexpected places”.

One night of all that love and hope is like the thermal vent around which, eons ago, life began. And because we’ve tried how it’s done, we’ve known how it feels, and when we try and present it, others want it.

4

The old Mercedes showroom on that side street by The Station with its high ceilings and large void of potential being turned into a strange brew. Artists, metal workers, all influx and flow, when I strolled by.

The world of generic nightlife experience could order online a whole huge poster collection of Hendrix time-warp rainbow visuals to go up on any wall. But not here. Here, it’s all handmade. Someone had some of this, someone else had some of that and before you know it the place has that East Berlin made-again warehouse vibe with handcrafted pasted creation filling the walls. It’s no mystery why our nightlife is so good when we craft it so well. Maybe we could give masterclasses to highstreet planners all around the country to turn the tide of homogenised plastic wrapped emptiness.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 35

The Bespoke Furniture, Upholstery & Soft Furnishings Experts A family run independent business born and bred in Bristol since 1999.

Offering a wide range of services; - Made to measure curtains - Bespoke furniture - Upholstery - Replacement cushions - Homeware from Nkuku Our workshops are open for business.

Open Monday - Saturday, 9am-5pm.

196 North Street, Bristol, BS3 1JF 01173 702745 | sales@swupholstery.co.uk

www.swupholstery.co.uk

5

PHOTOGRAPHY

5

6

“Let’s wear a whole new lot of speakers out again. And again” 7

8

Boom... boom... boom.

What fuels your life, makes your dreams feel like they could be in reach?

Boom... boom... boom.

When you wake up bleary-eyed from a good night out, and push yourself back into the day, what makes you smile as you rest your head against the glass on the top deck of the first bus rolling past your house?

Boom... boom... boom.

The nightlife beast has been hibernating in all our waking sleepfulness. Every lockdown house-share is a cave. And play by play, the music is kept ready for the glorious spring and summer when the light will reach back into the cave once more, and then you will hear it. The unsheathing of vintage vinyl. The clunk of cables being inserted. The hum as the vast array of electromagnets prepare for the tide to come back in.

Boom... boom... boom.

Where will you hear the beat from on that day?

Every club that survives will need our flow, Nike trainers jumping once again, in order to survive. Feast. And know you are blessed, for were we not told once that God was a DJ?

6

We just go down to the clubs again.

Beneath the dark and broody sky.

To the Plough, the Bear, the Star Garter And keep this going for those who come after.

Here is a wall, could be made from over a hundred wornout speakers Let’s wear a whole new lot out again. And again.

Build a glorious wall of speakers so damaged by our enjoyment of the night.

Louder they asked, hands up to heaven, and louder it went. Bristol’s nightlife culture has torn up and worn out so many. But the next day, by word of mouth, it all begins again.

All I ask it that you steer into this port city and try it.

So when that traveller from afar sidles up to you and asks, where’s a good night out in Bristol?, you can smile.

“Where do you want to start, mate?”

7

Proper boozers. We got ’em.

Nightclubs for the dispossessed. We got ’em.

Amalgamations of aspirational use of vegan ideals serves up under eco-friendly neon hope?

We got that too.

Heavy metal pubs with the walls so covered in Swedish thrash metal band stickers it actually helps with the sound insulation? Yep. We got that too.

Darts. We have darts.

At least we will, when we can.

Bear with us. We are working on it.

8

Don’t tell me what I can’t do. Let me show you what I can do.

Don’t think you can shut things down faster than we can start things up.

Nightlife. As it was. As it will be. Created moment by moment, as your beats, and your mate offers your a shot of rum and coke as fuel.

Colin is available as a ‘mini-mobile PR/marketing/social media unit’, to shoot striking street-style photographs at live events: parties, launches, promos and performances, for impactful immediate social media. Fees start at £100 for a two-hour package. email: mrcolinmoody@gmail.com Twitter: @moodycolin; Instagram @moodycolin319

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 37

FOOD & DRINK S N A P S H O T S O F B R I S T O L’ S F O O D S C E N E

I

The Bristol food and drink scene’s looking tasty again! So what’s on the menu this month? t’s so good to see the local hospitality scene opening up again, with plenty of fresh new ideas; we’re loving the new Bristol Beer Factory menu at the Arnolfini café/ bar, and it’s great to see the Breaking Bread tipis back on the Downs.

Look out, too, for Outerspace – a new venture from the team behind the Christmas Spiegeltent, who have just launched a new al fresco drinking, dining and music destination on Harbourside.

More on that very soon . . .

Same view, different menu: Bristol Beer Factory at Arnolfini 38 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

STARTERS

Welcome back, Breaking Bread! The team have collaborated with Arbor Ales to make a fresh new IPA called – (yes!) - Breaking Brews. For every pint sold, or pint can from Arbor’s shop, 50p will go direct into the Team Canteen CIC, funding its ongoing fight against food vulnerability.

“The Team Canteen is a very important project at a very important time,” says Josh Eggleton. “It’s a space to support training and work opportunities for young people, helping them get past the barriers into work. It’s also used as a meal production facility for emergency and community food provision, supporting projects such as Breaking Bread’s at-home ready meals scheme, which is directly helping to feed some of the city’s most at-risk.”

The Breaking Brews IPA is available via the Arbor Ales online shop and for quaffing up at the Pipe & Slippers. arborales.co.uk

THE DRINKS LIST...

AMUSES BOUCHES…

One of the very few big events to have taken place last year, Bristol Craft Beer Fest returns to Lloyd’s between 11-13 June. Head to the website for the latest menu of brewers, and the just-announced food line-up – we’re talking Jakoni’s x Arawelo Eats, Nuvola Pizza x Harbour Brewing, Popti & Beast x Asado and Two Belly, people! bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk

ARE FRIENDS ELECTRIC? Riverford is launching its first fleet of electric vans in Bristol using new battery technology, turning all deliveries in the city fully electric. The aim is to save 68 tonnes of carbon a year; they hope to turn the whole national fleet electric by 2025. riverford.co.uk THE MOST EXCITING OPENING of the year, the Pony North Street launches on 19 May. Following the ‘book and pay ahead’ model pioneered in Bristol by Breaking Bread, you’ll have to, well, book and pay ahead.

If you can get a table… theponynorthstreet.co.uk NEW PIZZERIA Pizza on the Park is set to open on the site of the old Pizza Express at the top of Park Street, offering thin Roman-style pizzas; expect to see local art on the walls and a huge eight-player table football, the proceeds of which will go to Caring in Bristol. pizzaonthepark.com STREET FOOD COLLECTIVE Bristol Eats (BEATS) has launched a new hub at a pair of Airstream caravans in Paintworks. The site, previously occupied by Convoy Espresso, will serve bevvies from Alex Does Coffee along with BEATS’ trademark street food. bristoleats.co.uk

JUST DESSERTS…

The owners of Bakesmiths and Cakesmiths have launched a new shop in Old Market, serving fresh bread, cakes and toasties alongside a ‘cake innovation hub’. So, just how innovative are we talking here?

You’ll have to pop along and find out… cakesmiths.com

Love a Prohibition-style bar? Keep your eye on @thelibrarybristol on Instagram, a new private cocktail lounge disguised as a bookshop. It’s part of the Mugshot group, and to begin with you’ll only be allowed in if you’re dining with them later or beforehand; however there are also plans to use it as a daytime tea rooms at some point.

As local pubs and bars begin to reopen, Thatchers Cider is creating a run of limited-edition t-shirts, supplied free to the pubs for regulars to purchase, to show their support for their local pub; see the map at thatcherscider.co.uk ThatchersPubHeroes for your nearest participating pub.

ENTREES...

Y’all up for some vegan BBQ soul food? LD’s Kitchen, run by Bristol -based musician Lianna Lee Davies, has been operating out of a pop-up at Chatterton’s Café, but from this month they’ll be fixin’ to serve their vegan chicken breasts and wings, southernfried tofu, mac ‘n’ cheese, barbecue beans and pork-style seitan ribs from Kingsdown Wine Vaults.

While their work as professional musicians was put on hold by the pandemic, Lianna and partner Aidan decided to launch the new business, drawing on home-style cooking and family recipes from her native America.

“The pandemic changed things for musicians almost overnight,” says Lianna. “It’s hard being told that you can’t do the thing you love any more, so I want to invest my time in people who have shared that similar experience. Our staff team would make a helluva house band…” facebook.com/ldskitchenbristol

THE FISH COURSE...

Chef Mitch Tonks is about to publish his sixth book, The Rockfish Cookbook. Born in Weston-super-Mare, Mitch is now one of the foremost fish and seafood experts in the country; in the new book, named after his award-winning Rockfish restaurant chain, he sets out to show how easy it is to cook British seafood – sustainably, informally, “with minimum fuss and maximum joy”. The book reflects the changing seasons of coastal life through the kind of recipes that have helped shape the Rockfish history: enticing and full of flavour yet simple, accessible and unpretentious. therockfish.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 39

TEMPEH; NO TANTRUMS Previously only available to top chefs, traditionally made tempeh can now be ordered online from Bristol’s Tempeh Meades. It’s easy to cook, tastier than tofu, and terribly good for you . . .

T

empeh Meades rejoices in a doubly puntastic name.

Obviously, there’s the Brunel connection; but the company was also founded by Benedict Meade, who learned the traditional methods of making tempeh in West Java, where it is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Tempeh is highly valued for its healthy low GI protein and fibre content, and the fact that it’s packed full of vitamins and minerals.A plant-fuelled staple in Indonesia, it’s made by forming cooked soya beans into a block and adding a culture to initiate a fermentation process. The end product has a firm texture and nutty taste; it’s also a cinch to cook.

40 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

“Tempeh has always excited me, because it can be used in so many dishes; from starting your day with scrambled tempeh, or panfried and added to a salad for lunch, or even made into a burger, there are just so many possibilities,” says Benedict.

“The health benefits of tempeh make it a reliable source of protein in a vegan or flexitarian diet; as well as being gluten-free, it has been known to improve digestive health. Tempeh absorbs and retains flavour extremely well, so many choose to marinade it first and then bake, fry or simmer in their favourite dishes.”

For a summery recipes, try these satay skewers with a cucumber and radish slaw.

It cooks equally well on the BBQ, too...

RECIPES

TEMPEH SATAY SKEWERS WITH A CUCUMBER AND RADISH SLAW Serves 2

Ingredients For the marinade: 30mls olive oil, groundnut oil or coconut oil, melted 10g root ginger (skin removed) 10g soft brown sugar or palm sugar 2 cloves of garlic (peeled) 1 red chilli (seeds removed) 1 zest and juice of a lime 1/2 banana shallot (peeled and chopped) 1/2 tsp coriander seeds Pinch of smoked salt

For the cucumber and radish slaw: 1 whole cucumber (either spiralised, sliced with a speed peeler or julienne-sliced – seeds discarded) 100g radishes (finely sliced) 25mls olive oil 20mls rice vinegar 1/2 tsp honey

For the satay sauce: 200ml full-fat coconut milk 150g smooth peanut butter 15g root ginger (skin removed and finely grated) Zest and juice of a lime 1/2-1 red chilli (seeds removed and finely chopped) 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce Pinch of smoked salt

Added extras to garnish (optional): Toasted peanuts Toasted coconut flakes Extra chilli (finely chopped)

300g tempeh (cut into 1/2 inch cubes) 4 small wooden skewers (soaked in water for 1 hour)

Method Pre heat the oven to 180ºC. 1. First you will need to steam the tempeh; this encourages it to take on the flavour of the marinade. Place the cubes into a steamer and steam for 8-10 mins.

2. While the tempeh is steaming, blitz the marinade ingredients together in a blender to form a paste. Pour this into a shallow dish and when the tempeh is done steaming add this to the marinade, coating all the cubes. Set aside for 20-30 mins.

3. While the tempeh is marinading, make the satay sauce by combining all the ingredients together in a saucepan; bring to a boil then remove from the heat.

4. Feed the cubes evenly onto the pre-soaked skewers and place onto a non-stick baking tray then into the oven for 20 mins, turning them half-way through.

5. While the tempeh is cooking make the slaw by mixing the vinegar, oil and honey together in a large bowl, adding the cucumber and radishes combining everything.

6. Remove the tempeh from the oven and drizzle the satay sauce over so that each skewer is coated in the sauce.Serve the skewers with the slaw and any added extras on top.

For more: tempehmeades.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 41

RECIPES

ALL ABOUT THE PICNICS With the weather perking up, and frankly few other alternatives, picnics are set to become the de rigeur alternative to lunch and dinner parties. Which is where Bristol’s co-operative of home chefs All About the Cooks comes in…

I

n the wrong hands, a picnic can be a rather dispiriting affair – is there a more depressing phrase in the English language than ‘supermarket nibbles’? You can, of course, prepare an elaborate outdoor feast from scratch; please invite us if you do. Better still, why not order freshly made dishes from one of the talented home chefs at All About the Cooks? Check the website to see who’s cooking what, from classic afternoon teas to Middle Eastern mezze.

To give you just a flavour…

TENDERSTEM BROCCOLI AND BACON QUICHE Serves 6-8

Priscilla Jérémie shares her recipe, which can also be ordered via the website.

Ingredients 250g homemade or supermarket shortcrust pastry 1 tsp olive oil 150g smoked bacon rashers, roughly chopped, or lardons 1 leek or onion, finely sliced 200g tenderstem broccoli, halved lengthways 4 eggs 200ml double cream 100ml milk 100g mild cheddar grated Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas mark 4.

2. Grease or cover with parchment paper a 25cm/10in loose-bottomed tart tin.

3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to make a circle large enough to fit over the tart tin. Line the tin, gently pushing the pastry right into the edges, and trim any excess. Prick the base with a fork, place a piece of parchment paper and fill it with baking beans.

4. Blind-bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pastry and take out the parchment paper and baking beans, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the pastry is a light golden-brown colour. Remove the pastry from the oven and leave to cool.

5.For the filling, heat the olive oil in a frying pan.

Add the bacon or lardons and fry gently until

golden-brown. Add the leek or onion to the pan and cook gently for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Remove from heat and set aside.

6. Simmer the broccoli for three minutes in boiling water then drain and cool under cold water. Set the broccoli aside on a kitchen paper towel.

7. Mix the eggs, cream, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Stir in the leek, the bacon and the cheese and pour into the pastry case.

8. Arrange the broccoli on top and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is just set. Leave to cool before serving warm or at room temperature.

For more: allabouthecooks.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 43

And breathe...

Wellbeing in the Gardens Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation Classes and workshops for adults + yoga for children Bath, BA2 7BD

americanmuseum.org/whats-on

CAFÉ SOCIETY STAN CULLIMORE

Sippin’ on the dock of a bay If the coffee’s hot, the cakes are sweet and the kayaks are out, all’s well in Stan’s world . . .

A

s I type these words, the world has taken one more small step along the path to sanity. The return to almost-normality is continuing.

Cafés, shops and bars are opening their doors once again.

Hallelujah, and pass the skinny flat white. Admittedly, it’s all a bit weird, but still, a step forward is better than a step backward or sideways, so I’m looking on the sunny side.

“In the same way that snowdrops are the first tiny signs of spring, we noticed a tiny sign right there and then that things were getting better”

Obviously, life being what it is, that might all have changed by the time you read this. But for now, I shall cross my fingers, hope that everything is fine and dandy out there in café society and keep the faith. Believing the world is still turning in a sensible and sane way.

I will also take a moment to give thanks to all those wonderful folk out there who have kept the caffeine flowing, the cakes coming and the coffee shops alive over the last few difficult months.

Baristas of Bristol, we salute you.

We thank you for your service.

Takeaway, or otherwise, it has been much appreciated.

Now, to business. There are so many places we could have visited this week, to celebrate the loosening of lockdown, that it was hard to make a choice. But choose we did. Broken Dock Kitchen & Bar is situated down on Harbourside, opposite the ss Great Britain, in a quiet backwater which is usually filled with narrowboats, pontoons and happy smiling faces.

When we visited, the narrowboats were still missing in action, the pontoons were out of limits, thanks to the clipboard zealots, but the happy smiling faces were out in force. And, quite frankly, since that is always the most important part of any equation, life was good. On any other day, we could have filled our boots from the long list of snacks

and savouries on offer. But on this particular day, we were just happy to be out and about with the pooches.

Ordering a couple of takeaway coffees by way of modest celebration, we sat ourselves down on a convenient concrete outcrop to watch the world go by. Which is when we noticed something.

A lovely little detail that was even better than any biscuit or sandwich could ever be.

You see, in the same way that snowdrops are the first tiny signs that spring is on its way, we noticed a tiny sign right there and then that things were getting better. Because something was happening for the first time in ages. We could hear the nearby sound of splashing. The gentle stroke of paddles on water.

Followed by the gurgle of children laughing and playing.

As the friendly barista strolled across with our coffees on a tray, a clutch of small children arrived, carried across the water in a confusion of kayaks and contentment. Made the heart sing to see the honest delight in their faces. To know that joy has returned. n

Former Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer For more stancullimore.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 45

TURQUOISE AND GOLD BRACELET, £540 A vintage bracelet that also happens to be incredibly on-trend, proving that style and quality never date. The flat, diamond-cut figaro links add extra distinction From Charles Hart 4 Cheap Street, Frome vintagetom.co.uk

BLING IT ON

SILVER DOME NECKLACE WITH FLUSH-SET DIAMOND, £82 A classic, sparkly pendant

by Clare Chandler; designed to sit neatly on the collarbone From Clifton Rocks 31 The Mall, Clifton cliftonrocks.co.uk

GOLD AND DIAMOND RING, £4,200 The polished Fairtrade gold sets off the the incredible sparkle in the .92ct round rose cut diamond, from the Jwaneg Mine in Botswana From Diana Porter 33 Park Street dianaporter.co.uk

From pay-day impulse buys to once-in-a-lifetime investments, the right jewellery can take your look to the next level HOOP EARRINGS, £150 Established in 1889, Kemps are one of the city’s most respected jewellers – though it’s not all traditional pieces, as these lovely earrings show From Kemps Jewellers, 33 Union Street kempsltd.co.uk SENCE COPENHAGEN SILVER BRACELET, £58 The short, chunky silverplated chain is ideal for layering, or worn on its own as a simple, stylish statement From Grace & Mabel 32 The Mall, Clifton graceandmabel.co.uk

46 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

WHITE GOLD AND DIAMOND EARRINGS, £3,795 Brilliant-cut, castle-set drop earrings in white gold, guaranteed to outsparkle anyone within a one-mile radius. To wear to the Bristol Life Awards, perchance?

From Mallory 1-5 Bridge Street, Bath mallory-jewellers.com

BIG METAL HORN NECKLACE, £18 Similar looking pieces retail at Missoma for well over £100; just saying...

From Fox + Feather 41 Gloucester Road foxandfeather.co.uk

ED’S CHOICE SILVER CHARM BRACELET, £409 Featuring some of Diana Porter’s most popular charms, including three mini ‘sibyls’ From Diana Porter 33 Park Street dianaporter.co.uk

ALPHABET NECKLACE, £8 A little bit Alexis?

– other letters also available, obviously.

A rather adorable and crazily inexpensive trinket that also happens to be bang-on trend From That Thing 45-47 Stokes Croft thatthing.co

PERDITA SHELL EARRING, £12 Both statement and delicate; and we’re loving that rose gold colour for you!

From Mon Pote 217 North Street monpote.co.uk

STARBURST NECKLACE, £22 We’re loving everything from the bobble chain to the pendant to the affordable price. Good morning, starshine!

From Pod Company 24 The Mall, Clifton thepodcompany.co.uk

SMALL CRESCENT HOOPS, £39 Wolf & Gypsy’s earrings resemble the moon in crescent shape; in sterling silver plated with gold vermeil From Movement Boutique 5 The Mall, Clifton movementboutique.co.uk

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN EARRINGS, £320 Channel your inner Goth with these Swarovski encrusted skulls hanging from delicate chains From Garment Quarter 47b Merchant Street garmentquarter.com

PILGRIM KIKU SILVER HOOPS, £19.99 Silver-plated large boho hoops, with Rajasthani-style droplet detailing From Mon Pote 217 North Street monpote.co.uk

AMETHYST FRESHWATER PEARL BRACELET, £50 (IN SALE) With lightweight amethyst beads and a freshwater pearl – very versatile, and pretty on all skin types.

From Nicholas Wylde 6 The Mall, Clifton; nicholaswylde.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 47

WANTED We buy for cash

SCRAP GOLD & PLATINUM Simply bring your old jewellery to our showroom in Bristol or send it in to us by special delivery.

(Please give us a call for more details) On your behalf, we can also sell re-saleable, unwanted jewellery items in our windows on a sale or return basis.

Photo ID required in all circumstances.

KEMPS OF BROADMEAD 33 Union St, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 2DJ T: 0117 926 4888 | www.kempsltd.co.uk Email: kempsbroadmead@gmail.com

WINDOW SHOPPING MILLY VAUGHAN Tank top, Harvey Nichols, £60

Cotton Citizen sweatshirt, Harvey Nichols, £180

Jumpsuit, Harvey Nichols, £360

Tie-dye for

Sweatpants, Harvey Nichols, £65

Far be it for Milly to say “I told you so,” but . . .

A

couple of years ago, before my lovely workship with Bristol Life began, I enthusiastically pitched to another magazine that tie-dye was making a comeback. I think they thought I was having a midlife crisis, and short of taking my temperature they kindly told me to jog on.

Nowadays, as you doom-scroll your evening away, you don’t have to swipe very far down into the

curated ‘suggested posts’ of the midnight zone, without passing posts of celebrities posing in tie-dye gifts from pop-up stores, or adverts for fashion’s take on the trend.

To make it official, the temple of fashion that is Vogue, has a page dedicated to it’s return in a recent issue, making it a done-dye deal.

I still covet my purple and turquoise tie-dye tank tops that I bought for Ibiza trips in my twenties. Every summer I pull them out from the spine of my cupboard for a tentative outing

“The ’60s hippy phenomenon, which has been dancing in our peripheral vision for the past year, is back for the summer”

Silk scarf, Harvey Nichols, £520

T-shirt, Loot Vintage, £18

Vagabond trainers, Fox + Feather, £65 (reduced to £15!)

with denim shorts as I mourn my youth, and the legs that used to go with them.

But if when you think of tie-dye you envisage home dye kits with rubber bands – which if done badly can look like you’ve staggered across a paintballing hen weekend in a white t-shirt – then press refresh. A cashmere psychedelic swirl jumper I saw online for an eyewatering sum is a bona fide example that it’s no longer just the preserve of our teens and millennials, but that the elite fashionistas have stepped in and upped the ante. From socks to sweaters; cotton to silk; bull’s eye to ombre dye effects, if it can be dyed, it will be. There is only

one rule when it comes to the free spirited tie-dye – that there are none. Pretty much anything goes.

However you chose to wear yours, the ’60s hippy phenomenon which has been dancing in our peripheral vision for the past year or so is here to last the summer. So if you see a 40-year woman walking down the high street wearing a tie-dye onesie, muttering ‘I told you so’, don’t worry; I’m not having a midlife crisis, I’m just referring to my failed pitch and the cringing at the memory of me dancing on a podium in Pascha. ■ @millyvaughan on instagram camillapettman@mac.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 49

© TNR

© GLOBAL SHOTS

© GLOBAL SHOTS

© GLOBAL SHOTS

SURF’S UP You think Bristol can’t get any better, and then they go and plonk a state-of-the-art wave machine and surf centre on the outskirts. Rachel Ifans hangs 10 with the family

50 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

THE GREEN WAVE A quick summary of The Wave’s sustainability creds

ENERGY: The Wave is powered by 100% renewable energy, with solar thermal panels to pre-heat the water, and an air source heat exchanger. The building has been future-proofed so that photovoltaic panels can be added in the future.

BUILDING: Throughout the design and build, the team was guided by principles of reduce, reuse, recycle.

Highlights include the steel sheet on the roof, the glass in the windows, the materials used in the work surfaces and the natural clay plaster on the walls. They also used local workshops in the build.

LANDSCAPE: The site was originally low grade, unimproved grassland and they’ve only built on approximately 5% of the site.

The designs for the landscape and planting set out to increase the biodiversity and habitat areas, by creating new woodland areas, native hedgerows, wildflower and grassland meadows as well as ornamental planting which will provide habitat areas for insects and invertebrates.

ave you ever gone in search of the Severn Bore? What’s that… you don’t even know what it is?

Call yourself a Bristolian?

You may think the Severn Bore is a fusty old bloke who bangs on ad infinitum about the ebb and flow of the River Severn, but it’s actually a tidal wave that barrels its way up the Bristol Channel in sync with the equinoxes.

As bore-spotters will tell you, the wave is only big enough to surf a few times a year, and in my limited experience it takes more than one wave or two to learn to surf*. There must be easier ways to wipe out than waiting patiently (for, like, months) for a big wave and then trying to ride it for miles upstream to Gloucester?

Enter The Wave, which opened in Easter Compton, just off the M5 north of Bristol, in November 2019, and then had to close and reopen for various lockdowns and is now fully open again.

The Wave is a monster of a machine that creates endless curlers like you’ve seen off the beaches of Santa Barbara. Myself, my husband and our son (*who, it seems, does only need one wave to learn to surf, but more on that later) went to check it out.

Would it be Point Break or Pointless for us novices on a murky Monday in March?

The Wave is the only inland surfing destination powered by Wavegarden Cove technology in the northern hemisphere, and the founders chose Bristol for its location because it’s so well connected and because it has a large resident surf population. In very basic terms, there are a series of ‘paddles’ that move in and out in sequence (think slinky) and push the water over the lake base. The base is sculpted like the reefs on an ocean bed, and this dictates how and where the waves break. It produces really ocean-like waves as it mimics the way that waves form in nature.

When you draw up in the car park, separated from

© TOM G PHOTO

They’re planting 16,000 trees, 500m of new hedgerow, and over 13 acres of wildflower meadowland

H

GREAT ESCAPES the wave centre by a swathe of don’t-touch-me green belt, you won’t get sand and palm trees as far as the eye can see, but get used to it. The Wave is an ongoing project. So swap your beachside daydreams for rural reality: the farmland, gravel, dirt tracks, mountains of earth that was excavated to build the lake and is now going to be used for landscaping sit well under the dirt-grey sky and Brizzle mizzle.

The main building has a natural feel to it. It’s all glass and wood and, as cosy as it is in the chilly months, I can also imagine the big glass windows and doors thrown open in the summer giving it a summery beach feel. There’s a well-stocked bar (local beers, ciders, top-heavy marshmallow hot chocs and good coffees). As for the food, it’s exactly the kind of stuff you want after going surfing: brunches, burgers, chips, sausage rolls, and quiches. In fact, everything about The Wave is well chosen, from the natural building materials to facilities such as hot showers and saunas, to the shop merch, the surf kit you wear, the permanent and pop-up food ranges and even the staff. It all has a chilled Cornish beachside vibe to it, without a whiff of (*whispers it*) North Cornwallian pretension and privilege.

The friendly, professional, enthusiasticbut-not-overbearing service is consistent and on point, whether the team is welcoming pros, beginners, kids or middle-aged women with no upper body strength (ahem). The Wave is partnering with Cornwall charity The Wave Project to offer sessions to kids with anxiety or at risk of isolation, getting kids from inner-city Bristol to access the mental health benefits of surf therapy without having to travel a long way to the coast.

We had a beginners’ lesson (30 minutes on land) which then lead on to an hour’s surf session. We had two instructors in our group of seven, but this was a Monday during school term; group sizes may vary at peak times. The two instructors gave attentive and individual advice and tips; they issued a guarantee at the beginning that everyone in the group would be standing on the board by the end of the session (again, ahem) and for most of us this was true. Some of us – my 13-year-old son – stood up on his very first wave, something that made me narrow my eyes and stare at him in envy.

The waves are very impressive: you get as much practice here as you would in three times as much time at the beach, and the waves are perfect every time. For the beginner lessons, you get 15 waves per set and a 90-second break between sets to draw breath.

We loved our time at The Wave and can’t recommend it enough – it really stands out in all ways. Have a go – you won’t regret it! (That said, I’m sticking to skiing and running in the future.)

The Camp at The Wave is 25 glamping tents, sleeping up to eight, so if you want to hang out just metres away from the lake, you can make a break of it.

Opening on 17 May, the tents are bookable now. n

“Would it be Point Break or Pointless for us novices on a murky Monday in March?”

For more: thewave.com Fancy staying over? Each tent at The Camp sleeps up to eight www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 51

THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN

SMART

THINKERS The Conference for Entrepreneurs is scaling up, with seven sponsors OUR SPONSORS, CURRENTLY:

CONTENT: claudia.butler@mediaclash.co.uk

COMMERCIAL: annie.kelly@mediaclash.co.uk

CONCEPT: greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk SITE: EntreConf.co.uk Register now for July 1

It’s the city’s business

BRISTOLWORKS NEW BUSINESS….

FROM LEFT: Anna Rutherford, Nick Childs,

Shanks Raj and Pippa Goldfinger

If they build it . . .

An Architecture Centre should be housed in the most ergonomic, forward-thinking building possible – agreed? Fancy getting involved?

T

o celebrate its 25th year, the Architecture Centre is launching a crowdfunder to transform its Harbourside home into a vibrant venue for design and placemaking.

The Centre has already raised 80% of the funds, and is now asking partners and the public to help raise the final 20% to transform 16 Narrow Quay into a major cultural landmark on Bristol’s waterfront.

Rewards include the naming of the new education floor, an annual pass to the talks programme and opportunities to name a seat or engrave one of 30 bespoke brass tiles.

The transformation includes a new designthemed café and bar called The Architect, with

a new terrace to enjoy a drink overlooking the harbour.

The first floor will become the cultural heart of the venue, with the space kitted out to host regular events related to the design of our cities, homes and neighbourhoods, as well as being the control hub for Bristol’s Open Doors festival.

The first floor will also house the charity’s Shape My City programme, a diverse talentacceleration initiative that enables 15-18year-olds to learn from leading building and architecture companies.

“Design has a profound effect on all of us every day, from our commutes to our communities, to our homes and our hospitals and green spaces,” says Anna Rutherford, director at The

John Charles Bespoke Kitchens has been developed by a designer and a cabinetmaker with over 30 years experience at the pinnacle of the luxury kitchen market.

“The company’s foundations are built upon integrity, commitment, professionalism and attention to detail in our approach to designing the perfect environment to suit our clients,” says Stephen Biggs “Our core unique selling points are our standalone turnkey service, ensuring one single point of contact while our verified trades manufacture and install your kitchen while carrying out associated building works.

“We also have a limited order quota per annum to ensure exclusive designs and dedicated craftsmen.”

And kitchens are just the beginning – they offer the same service for rooms throughout the home. For more: johncharleskitchens.co.uk

Architecture Centre. “We’re asking you to join us to create a new place for people, politicians and professionals to come together to shape our city and our region. Help us raise the final £25,000 the charity needs to bring this new venue to life.”

“A new centre for design, is an incredibly attractive offer, and of benefit to the visitor economy,” says Kathryn Davis of Visit Bristol.

“By creating a cultural hub we can safeguard our historic harbour and create a vibrant familyfriendly and ‘European’ feel, similar to that achieved at Wapping Wharf.”

The Crowdfunder runs until 22 June crowdfunder.co.uk/help-transform-the-architecture-centre

BRISTOLWORKS

CLOCKWISE: Greg Ingham, Richard Hemmings, Chris Lester, James Stevens, Adam Greenwood

KITCHEN SYNC Gardiner Haskins Interiors has invested over £100,000 in their Bristol kitchen showroom in order to showcase their new partnership with royal warrant-holders, Stoneham Kitchens.

“Following the success of our new showroom launch in 2018, we are continuing to invest in our showrooms to keep them up to date with the latest kitchen trends, to inspire our customers,” said MD Ben Allen.

“Stoneham is the perfect partnership for us, with their 150-year history and high-quality products.”

For more: gardinerhaskins.co.uk

MEDIACLASH PRESENTS…

THE PITCH IS BACK Bristol-based team The Pitch is aiming to get 3,000 promising startups investment-ready and provide them with a platform.

The Pitch provides a stage for startups to tell the public and investors about what they do, helping to create a ‘kick-ass pitch’ and give companies the platform to use it. The programme includes free online educational resources, workshops and live pitching events, all designed to equip founders and entrepreneurs with the skills they need to take their business to the next level.

For more: thepitch.uk

On 21 April, Bristol Life held a property all-stars Business Surgery featuring Richard Hemmings, business development director at Close Brothers Property Finance; Adam Greenwood, director of Valuation Advisory JLL; Chris Lester, director at MDA Consulting; Jon Morgan from Juniper Homes, and James Stevens, director of Cities at the Home Builders Federation.

The panel discussed topics that directly affected business development, including the scarcity of land in Bristol and its environs.

Larger developers can usually hold onto land, although it’s much more difficult and expensive for SMEs. This obviously affects expansion across the industrial landscape.

The panel also discussed the complex problem of town planning; particularly key in a city such as Bristol, which has struggled to meet its housing demands. This can be a major barrier to productivity.

Many Covid-related subjects were touched on during the Business Surgery, such as working from home. This new development has led to greater growth in outlying villages’ leafier areas, even though they represent longer commutes; these are accepted because they’re made less frequently.

“There are a fair few developments like that; being near the countryside is something that's had increased demand,” said Jon Morgan. Chris Lester is convinced that the office has an important role for many businesses: “Working from home as a new ideal was interesting, and has its benefits as well as downsides, but for long-term growth and company identity it’s vital to get back there.”

“As a funder we're very much led by the level of appetite in the industry; there will, of course, be challenges, but there are usually ways to overcome. A lot of it comes down to cost and affordability,” said Richard Hemmings.

Watch The Bristol Life Business Surgery with Close Brothers, held on 21 April, on You Tube

CLOCKWISE: Blue-sky thinking at Breaking

Bread; repping Bristol, Dom Borel, Josh Eggleton and Phil Haughton

MEDIACLASH PRESENTS

The big Crumbs Takeaway 56 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

W

e know how tough it’s been for Bristol hospitality this past year.

We’re also very aware that many people in this sector stepped up big-time to help those in an even worse position, and what may have begun as an urgent response to the pandemic has now turned into an ongoing commitment to feed vulnerable people in the city.

We wondered how we might be able to help, and here’s what we came up with: a free, online hospitality conference called The Crumbs Takeaway, that launched on 19 April. The conference offered an

opportunity for the sector – not just in Bristol, but also Bath, Cardiff and Exeter – to come together to share advice and stories.

The Takeaway included keynote talks from two speakers, restaurateur Mitch Tonks and CE of UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls; a ‘This Works for Me’ section, with Dom Borel from Bianchis, Greg Wells from the Craft Beer Festival and Josh Eggleton of the Pony & Trap repping Bristol; and an expert panel featuring Aine Morris of Bristol Food Union and Phil Haughton of Better Food.

As well as providing practical advice and inspiration as companies re-emerge to full trading, the

along with you. I think we’re at a unique point in time. We’ve all had time to step back from our businesses, and we’ve been forced to evolve them and change them where we needed to.”

Takeaway also included a special section highlighting the good that local food and drinks companies have done in the four cities during the pandemic.

the first time, we were able to look at our restaurants, when they were stopped. We took the business apart and put it together again. We now have a more cohesive business.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Kate Nicholls gave a sombre summing up of the state of the hospitality industry: a 30% drop in employment, one in five pubs closed, and 10% of hotels and accommodation closed for good.

“The industry will emerge from the pandemic heavily in debt, and the sector needs action from the government to give it the breathing space it needs in order to get back on its feet,” said Kate.

“Even if you’ve survived the black swan of Covid, there will be the grey rhinoceros of debt running alongside the industry for the next 18 months.”

Mitch Tonks was more upbeat.

“The last 12 months have been fascinating; we are one of the businesses that have become better,” he said. “Our priorities were clear: we wanted to survive, we needed to look after our people, and we needed to come out the other side.

“We also wanted to innovate. For

’THIS WORKS FOR ME’ Dom Borel told the panel that the pandemic had wrought a handful of long-term changes in the industry.

For one thing, diners have now become used to pre-paying.

“No-shows were devastating before the pandemic. But now table deposits and time durations on tables are accepted. We balance the menu to reflect the shorter time available, so that people don’t feel rushed; we’ll offer exactly the same quality, but we’ll be more streamlined.”

Dom stressed that the new measures have to be explained to diners, and reasons given, whether they’re Covid-related or tied up with the financial viability of the hospitality sector.

Greg Wells laid out the beer position, saying: “We’ve got all of our relationships with sponsors, brewers etc, and it’s critical to stay in touch with them all to navigate this situation and bring everyone

“WHEN WE RETURN TO NORMAL TIMES, WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT WE STILL HAVE A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY”

THE EXPERT PANEL The panel attempted to read the runes for the hospitality sector over the coming year, and indeed for years to come.

“I think we have to be cautious about being too optimistic, but it does look as if the vaccination programme will ensure we’re not faced with the same situation again this year,” said Aine Morris.

“Many businesses stocked up for reopening, only to be told that a further lockdown was in force, or a new tier was being enforced, with massive wastes of money.”

“I think the outlook, with numerous caveats of course, seems to be fairly optimistic, looking fairly strong,” said Phil Haughton. Phil believes that what has emerged from the pandemic is the knowledge that hospitality can provide leadership when it comes to helping the rest of the community.

“You have to be innovative, you have to be agile to be in this sector.

“I think we’re beginning to talk about citizens rather than customers; when we come back to normal times we should remember that we still have a social responsibility.”

“We need to be able to put sustainability at the heart of our businesses,” said Aine. “We’re very lucky in Bristol to have a city of active people who are willing to get involved, help us out and contribute to the community, which is great for all of us and our offerings.”

‘THE GOOD PEOPLE DO’ Bookending the other sections of the Crumbs Takeaway, this focused on the extraordinary ways that the hospitality sector has responded to the Covid crisis in helping out across the community, whether supporting frontline workers or feeding the homeless. All this at a time when the hospitality sector was hit harder than almost any other.

Bristol Life nominated restaurateur Josh Eggleton, who along with Bianchis and Team Love launched Breaking Bread, a socially distanced pop-up environment on The Downs last year, effectively keeping staff in work and suppliers’ lines open.

Josh has also been doing voluntary work for many years; when the pandemic hit, along with Dom Borel of Bianchis and Shona Graham of Emmeline, he cooked hundreds of thousands of meals for vulnerable people in the city.

“Why did we step up? There was a gap to be filled, and with everything closing we had an opportunity to fill the gap,” he said.

“But really, it was stuff we already do anyway, something we already engage with. For the last three years, for example, we’ve cooked for Care at Christmas – so that relationship already existed.”

Bristol Life’s second nomination was Tess Lidstone of Box-E. Tess has been putting together about 100 food boxes a week for young Bristol care leavers, as well as creating recipes and videos to encourage a love and understanding of good home-cooked food – a truly pioneering and enabling concept.

Although everyone in the hospitality sector is obviously keen to reopen for business, Tess and husband Elliott, Box-E’s chef, and no slouch himself when it comes to cooking for those in need, have decided to stay closed on Tuesdays, so that Tess can continue with the food box scheme.

“When the opportunity arose for me to work with care leavers across Bristol, I knew it was the project for me,” said Tess. “It initially started as a two-week emergency food supply for young people. But I wanted to find ways to make them feel a bit more included in society, so I did cookalong videos with a simple recipe they could follow. The project has now continued, and we’ve now got out 2700 boxes to young people, and established a really strong relationship with the council.”

Josh and Tess – and Dom, and Shona, for that matter, and Jan Ostle of Wilsons, and the JSS crew, and everyone else who donated their time, skills, energy and produce – guys, we know what you did last summer… ■ Watch the Crumbs Takeaway on You Tube

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 57

© WHITE VILLA PHOTOGRAPHY

BRISTOLWORKS

Every year, a special compère adds his or her sparkle and élan to the Bristol Life Awards ceremony – but what do they think of it all? Here’s our host from 2019, Bristol-born standup John Robins: So, John – how was it for you?

I just loved it! I always get nervous before working at events like that, but then, during the countdown to the start they played Lou Reed’s There Is No Time. I don’t think you’d hear that played at a corporate event anywhere else, and then I remembered we were in Bristol, and things were going to be just fine...

It’s the finalist countdown…

B

Who made the 2021 Bristol Life Awards shortlist?

ristol; you’re amazing! We know you’ve all had an incredibly busy past few months, but that didn’t stop you from inundating us with your Bristol Life Awards nominations. We received a record 413 in all, from sectors right across the city: from retailers to restaurants, culture to charity, health to hospitality, legal to leisure. Taken together, they provide a fascinating snapshot of Bristol business, from the smallest of the indies to the largest of the corporates.

Each nomination was carefully read, reread and read again. Discussions were held, and decisions were reached. On Wednesday 28 April we held our Grand Reveal over Zoom – a live event sponsored by Bristol Sport, in which the business community learned for the first time who had made it onto this year’s Bristol Life Awards shortlist. If you missed it you can still watch SPONSORSHIPS For remaining options, please contact harriette.dixon @mediaclash.co.uk or neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk FINALISTS Turn to page 60 for the full list.

TICKETS Please join the waiting list via our website to be the first to know when tickets are on sale.

the event on YouTube; or just turn to page 60 to see who made the cut.

It’s now over to our impeccably impartial panel of judges, who will choose the winners. These, as ever, will be revealed at the big Awards ceremony – held this year on 16 September at Ashton Gate.

It’s the first time we’ve been able to stage the Awards live since 2019, and while last year’s virtual event had its charms – we loved seeing our winners in their own homes, surrounding by ecstatic partners/kids/cats etc – we can’t wait to welcome you in all your finery to the most hotly anticipated and most glamorous Awards ceremony in the city.

Tickets invariably sell out quicker than Harts’ mince-pies at Christmas, so we strongly suggest you head to the website and join the waiting list pronto.

Some sponsorships are still available; see panel.

For more: bristollifeawards.co.uk; @BristolLifeAwds

AWARDS The Bristol Life Awards ceremony will be held on 16 September 2021. Nothing beats being there…

SOCIAL MEDIA Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter for all updates.

SPONSORS We thank our sponsors so far on board for 2021, led from the front by our headline sponsor,

58 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Marsh Commercial. Our category sponsors are: Anderson Financial Management, British Corner Shop, Brunel Insurance Brokers, Burston Cook, CMC Marquees, Curo, SLX, Spaces, Thatchers, Total Produce and VWV; and of course, Bristol Life itself. Our feature sponsor is Triangle Networks, and our silver sponsors are Clarke Willmott & Proctor + Stevenson.

What are your main memories from Awards night?

Where else would you get to meet such a broad range of Bristol businesses? We learned all about the bread served with our meal from The Bristol Loaf ,and the glamorous EcoStardust crew were giving everyone glitter makeovers…

MAKING CONNECTIONS

MediaClash has agreed a new strategic partnership with Clevedon-based internet service provider and distributor, Triangle Networks.

Triangle will be the connectivity partner across the Bristol Life Awards and Bristol Property Awards, along with our similar events in Bath and Exeter.

“Triangle have been superb partners for us for some years now, so it’s great to formalise this new strategic partnership,” said MediaClash MD Steph Dodd.

“We look forward to fruitful times in the run-up, during and after each of our Awards.”

“We’re delighted to be the official connectivity partner for the MediaClash Awards, as we continue to deliver nextgeneration gigabit-capable internet connectivity across the South West,” said Triangle’s CEO Paul Anslow.

For more: trianglenetworks.co.uk; mediaclash.co.uk

PROPERTY FINANCE SPECIALISTS

Bridging Finance

Commercial Mortgages

Property Development

Property Investments

Buy To Let Mortgages

01225 800849 www.swbf.co.uk

@SWBusinessFinance

@s_w_b_f

South_West_Business_Finance

South West Business Finance is a broker of credit and not a lender. South West Business Finance is a trading name of Aspire Commercial Finance Limited Registered in England & Wales under No: 09076273 Aspire Commercial Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (690089) also a member of the NACFB (06/0035/CM) Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up on repayments on a mortgage or any other debt secured on it.

PROPERTY A PL ACE TO C ALL HOME

GOLDEN YEARS

The Vincent, the Redland development for over-60s created by Pegasus, part of the Life Story group, has been shortlisted for the Housing Design Award 2021.

The Awards take into consideration a new development’s relationship to the neighbourhood, the appearance and design, sustainability in construction, finishes, detailing and workmanship. The judges, including industry experts and government officials, will now visit The Vincent to assess first-hand before making their decision.

“The Vincent is a community we’re particularly proud of,” says Mike Gill of Life Story. “The challenge was to marry the new and the old, to design an innovative later-living community with the specific focus on creating exceptional quality homes and social spaces for homeowners to thrive, while protecting and enhancing the area and its architecture.”

For more lifestory.group

NO ALLEN KEY REQUIRED…

... just one to your new front door.

Ikea's BoKlok on the Brook promises modern, sustainable, Scandinavian style homes, in a green and beautiful community

by Brislington Brook in Knowle West.

Along with Skanska, Ikea have been creating affordable homes across Europe since 1996; since then, it's built 12,000 homes in Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Now, in its first development for the UK, the team are bringing their ‘flat-pack’ BoKlok homes to South Bristol, in the form of oneand two-bedroom apartments and two- and three-bedroom houses, on a new estate with parks and play areas. All homes are built with wood off-site, and can be assembled on-site in a matter of days.

Demand is expected to be so high for the 173 homes, which start at the £255k mark, that the first residents will be picked through a live lottery-style draw after a random ballot process. Register at boklokonthebrook.co.uk

PROPERTY

THE HOME FRONT It’s hardly stop-press news that Bristol has become the UK’s biggest property hotspot, but what are home buyers really looking for at the moment?

Don’t ask us; ask these guys . . .

Box Maker’s Yard; opposite page, a typically stylish home marketed by Boardwalk

64 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

I

t’s not just the architects, builders, developers and estate agents who make up the Bristol property scene – there are the interior designers, too, and the letting agents, and the guys who handle the transport and engineering planning – and each cog in the property wheel has their own perspective to offer.

So, all you experts: how’s the market? What do people really want from their properties at the moment?

How do we upscale what we already have, and what are the hottest new developments? How important is sustainability? Are we over open-plan yet? [spoiler: we’re not]. And why does everyone suddenly want generous amounts of outdoor space?

Over to you…

THE RENTAL GUYS BOX MAKERS YARD

The philosophy behind these boutique apartments to rent is box-fresh.

This isn’t renting as you know it, they say; this is living life to the full in a vibrant community, in a home that feels like your own.

“It’s encouraging that people are still moving within the city, and also that they are coming here attracted by the work opportunities, despite the impacts of Covid,” says Tess Meredith Hardy. Tess reports that one- and two-bedroom apartments are in high demand, and prices have gone back up to where they were back in early March 2019.

“We have noticed that people are looking for more services on their doorstep. Build-to-rent apartments like Box Makers Yard can offer that, with great amenities and an on-site management team for hassle-free living. People are also really keen on having outdoor space – nearly all the apartments at Box Makers Yard that have terraces and balconies are now reserved.

“Also, communal spaces, especially for those working from home, such as gyms and shared roof terraces, are all important factors. As always, location is key – we’re less than five minutes’ walk from Bristol

Temple Meads, so that’s a big tick.

“The Soapworks next door to Box Makers Yard is really exciting.

There will be shops, restaurants, bars, offices and residential as well as lots of sustainable outdoor green space. It’s going to create thousands of local job opportunities, as well as regenerating the area, which will attract investment and create social engagement.”

THE AGENTS BOARDWALK

Boardwalk’s USP is that they handle some of Bristol’s coolest properties. “We value lifestyle, and sell Bristol’s most inspiring homes.

You won’t find magnolia here! We sell homes that positively ooze with creativity,” it says on the website “What people increasingly want from their homes is originality,” explains head of marketing Jack Head. “Bristol is world-renowned for its creativity, and the housing here often reflects this. Our city is brimming with unique and quirky homes. Top of the list are those period properties that have been lovingly restored, with inventive and on-trend colour schemes.

“The best and most thoughtful projects harness natural light to benefit the space and its use. Large openings linking the external and internal space are maximised, with well-crafted bi-fold or sliding doors that have uninhibited sightlines. Many Bristol home owners now talk as seriously about design issues as they do about our city’s never-ending traffic problems – whatever did happen to that promised Bristol tramway?” [Jack, we believe it’s still a thing.]

“Of course, outside space is also high up on the wish list; lovingly crafted private urban jungles, or gardens with well-groomed lawns for families, with fun space for the kids, are a priority for many home purchasers in Bristol. Originality also triumphs where outside space is not possible, with people now bringing the outside in more than ever through house plants.”

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 65

PROPERTY SAVILLS

“The new-build home market is performing extremely well this spring, driven by strong demand from a wide range of purchasers, including first-time buyers, investors, family buyers and downsizers,” confirms Vicky Dudbridge from the New Homes division.

“Interest has been right across the market, from one-bed apartments through to high-value family homes. We had our best ever sales quarter at the start of 2021, with more properties reserved during the first three months than in any other quarter on record.”

“The pandemic has led many to reassess their priorities at home,” adds Sholto Thompson from Savills Residential. “Proximity to the workplace is currently less important, thanks to the rise in home working; instead, being close to family has become a top priority for many, often underpinning the desire to relocate.

“After more than a year living under the restrictions, the vast majority of buyers across all price brackets now consider quality outside space to be a priority. Energy efficiency ratings are also becoming increasingly important to buyers, as social consciousness for the environment grows.

“Open-plan layouts are popular among younger buyers, while the older generation tend to prefer separate kitchens and living spaces. Underfloor heating on the ground floor and in bathrooms is increasingly becoming the norm in new builds and conversions.”

“Energy efficiency ratings are becoming increasingly important to buyers, as social consciousness for the environment grows”

ABOVE: Woodstock Lodge at Redland Court; BELOW: interiors at Lydstep Terrace

KNIGHT FRANK

“The Bristol property market is very hot, with demand outstripping supply,” confirms associate Francine Watson.

“With many people finding themselves working from home, and up until recently, home schooling as well, houses with good connectivity and flexible living space have been the focus of many homebuyers’ requirements.

“As an example: with only two homes remaining, our Lydstep Terrace development in Southville caters for all technical and spatial requirements. These five-bedroom family homes also offer a top-floor terrace leading from the main study, with views overlooking Dame Emily Park; three reception rooms, that can be used for anything from entertaining to cinema rooms or home offices, and thanks to CAT5 cabling, ultra-fast broadband.”

HAMPTONS

Christopher Firth reports that the first quarter of 2021 has been the busiest start to a year the agents have seen, “probably since 2007”.

“The demand from buyers looking to trade up to larger properties is huge, but so far there have not been enough new properties coming onto the market to satisfy that demand – resulting in many of our new properties achieving the asking price or higher.

“The reason for this is that there are a lot of potential sellers who have been holding off, and waiting for lockdown to ease, before marketing their properties, so the usual supply of stock is a couple of months behind where it usually is at this point. However, we now expect this situation to change now that lockdown is easing.

“In the past 12 months, the priorities of our buyers have changed dramatically. Now families have been spending more time at home, they want larger gardens, access to countryside walks and most

66 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

importantly of all, home offices, studies and separate areas for the children to do their homework and take Zoom lessons.”

Speaking of the perfect family property, Chris is particularly excited by a former coach house in Belluton, just outside Pensford in the Chew Valley, that Hamptons have just brought to market. “Not only is it an excellent family house with wonderful views, but the owners have created a spacious home office in an annexe that’s perfect for anyone who now works from home.”

THE CONSULTANTS

PAUL BASHAM ASSOCIATES

Paul Basham provides expert advice on transport planning, travel planning and civil engineering. Here, associate Rob Hardyman flags up some current trends and requirements – including the growing enthusiasm for electric transport.

“In our line of work, we are finding more and more people are seeking electric car-charging points for their homes,” says Rob. “This works perfectly if you are fortunate enough to have off-street parking; however, around most of the historic streets of Bristol, this is at a premium. We have worked on a few planning applications for clients who are wanting to create an off-street parking space, purely to charge an electric vehicle, so it is great to see this low-carbon technology being embraced.

“We are particularly excited about Box Makers Yard on Avon Street, as we are acting as the travel plan coordinators for the development.

This means that we will be working with residents to identify how they can travel from their new home without relying on cars all the time.

Car parking at the development is limited, which reflects the excellent location, with one parking space dedicated for a car club.

“The effective reuse of city centre brownfield sites will be key to helping people reduce travel by cars, and this development is a good example of what can be achieved.”

THE DEVELOPERS

CITY & COUNTRY

“Over a quarter of the population have found that their property needs have changed in the last year, and as a result we’re seeing a shift in the things people value most in their new home search,” says marketing manager Olivia Hutley.

“City & Country has two developments in Bristol – The General, a majestic Grade-II building in Redcliffe overlooking the Avon, and Factory No.1, located at the gateway to Bedminster; both offer homes with flexible internal spaces and ultra-fast broadband connections, which top the list of homebuyers’ new priorities. Many of the homes also offer private outside space – another feature we are increasingly seeing buyers value very highly.”

JUNIPER HOMES

Director Jon Morgan confirms that 2020 surveys placed outdoor space as buyers’ new top priority.

However, “the winter lockdown saw a shift, with 2021 surveys indicating that indoor space takes equal top priority, particularly if working from home continues. Fast broadband and parking are also on the priority list, as is moving closer to family and friends.

“The pandemic really has changed our thinking. While Juniper Homes’ current developments meet most of the top criteria, we will be factoring in these key elements for future developments. Although this can’t happen overnight, we and all developers will ignore the lessons of 2020 at our peril.

“Our landmark development, Redland Court, is set within three acres of residents’ landscaped grounds. It combines Grade II* historic restoration with new builds, and Phase 1 is already 50% sold. Soon to be released is the Manor House and six new town houses, all in the Redland Green catchment area. We have completed two new, detached homes, West Villa and Woodstock Lodge – both very individual in style.

All the homes are a perfect base as a full-time home or a ‘lock up and leave’ for residents planning to travel. Plenty of homes will have parking and private outdoor space.”

The new-build homes at Factory No 1

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 67

PROPERTY

We’d happily relocate to a home designed by Hobsons Choice...

THE INTERIORS SPECIALISTS HOBSONS CHOICE

Known for their exceptionally high-spec kitchens and bathrooms, Hobson’s Choice works with the world’s leading interior brands, with the team managing complete projects from start to finish.

Marketing director Graham Craig believes that lockdown has really focused our minds on what we want – and don’t want – from our homes.

“The pandemic has shifted the perspective of many people towards their home, what it provides for them, and what they now consider important.

“For many, it’s highlighted and emphasised how a kitchen, bathroom or living space isn’t perfectly in tune with their needs. In the past, people have put up with the oddities that have annoyed them, downplaying the need to act. Now, after many months of wishing for more preparation space, longing for a bigger shower, exasperation over watching the laptop battery die on the kitchen table, or needing a division in an open-plan layout, priorities have moved, and it is time to make a change.

“The world of work is now in the next room, or spread across the kitchen table, devoid of the commute. Joe Wicks and the gym have infiltrated the living room and filled the gap behind the sofa with yoga mats and dumbbells.

Areas of the home have started to take on split personalities, instigated by new pandemic-driven habits. It all points towards a trend for multifunctional rooms that are adaptable, while remaining stylish, comfortable and homely.

“In the kitchen/dining space, adding furniture with interior power outlets, charging sockets and router storage is becoming more common. A safe space for work-related kit, out of sight and away from the temptation to check one last email, but easy to find in the morning.

“Changing established workflows to make life more convenient; smart appliances that can carefully monitor your dinner as it cooks, or suggest a delicious recipe from the remaining items in your fridge. Instant boiling hot water taps that can speed up the process of making a well-needed cup of tea, or reduce the effort of lifting and filling a kettle . . .” n

68 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

“Proximity to the workplace is currently less important with the rise of home working; instead, being close to family has become a top priority” YOU HAVE BEEN READING: Box Makers Yard boxmakersyard.com

Paul Basham Associates paulbashamassociates.com

Boardwalk boardwalkpropertyco.com

City & Country cityandcountry.co.uk

Savills savills.co.uk

Juniper Homes juniperhomes.co.uk

Knight Frank Knightfrank.co.uk

Hobson’s Choice hobsonschoice.uk.com

SPONSORED CONTENT

Redland Court West Villa rooftop.

Right: Woodstock Lodge bedroom.

SIMPLY REDLAND

Now is the perfect time to buy and move to a new build – such as the premier development of REDLAND COURT...

T

ime is running out to take advantage of the extension of the Stamp Duty tax relief.

With 30 June as the deadline for completions, buyers can still save up to £15,000 at Redland Court, and buying new build makes it easier to meet these looming deadlines. New apartments in the Science Building, West Villa and Woodstock Lodge are now ready to move in, so don’t miss out on the opportunity of a private viewing.

There is also the added advantage that the development falls within the Redland Green school catchment area. Families looking to apply to the school for admission in 2022 could find a perfect home here, with the six new two- and three-bedroom family town houses – due for Woodstock Lodge kitchen/living area

completion later this year, and well in time to meet application criteria.

If space to work from home is on your musthave list, as well as outdoor space, Redland Court meets both criteria.

Each building on the scheme also has a specification designed to match its character and period. The Science Building is a more contemporary specification; skirtings and architraves are matched to wall colours for a visually dramatic seamless effect.

The Old School provides contemporary elegance with Grade-II features, with open-plan living spaces along with space to socialise, and many private outdoor courtyards and terraces.

With the open-plan living space, extensive grounds and private outdoor spaces, you have the best of both worlds.

JUST AVAILABLE: TWO INDIVIDUAL DETACHED HOMES Don’t miss these two unique detached homes – both stunning in their own right and both ready to view by appointment.

Woodstock Lodge is a contemporary singlestorey home with three bedrooms and a lightflooded living space with stylish kitchens. There is plenty of space for formal dining and relaxing, including a private terrace.

West Villa reflects the Georgian splendour of the Manor House. A breathtaking rooftop terrace with far-reaching views across the city,

INFORMATION • 1-bed apartments from £395,000 • 2-bed apartments from £525,000 • 3- and 4-bed apartments and houses from £895,000-£1.5m. with more private outdoor space at ground level makes this a must-see home.

Internally, there is a wonderful hand-built kitchen set in a large kitchen/breakfast room, two further living rooms and two bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom. Both homes provide dedicated parking.

Set in three acres of private residents’ gardens, Redland Court is Bristol’s most prestigious landmark development. One thing’s for sure; with so much thought, attention to detail and exceptional specifications these homes will not be on the market for long. Don’t miss the opportunity of a private tour of this landmark development. n

For further information please call Savills on 0117 910 0360 or Ocean on 0117 946 9838 www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 73

PROPERTY

PARAGON OF BEAUTY

It’s not every day that a home comes up for sale in Clifton’s most intriguing and distinctive terrace . . .

By Ursula Cole www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 75

I

t’s the classic view of Clifton that never gets old.

Approaching Bristol from the west, crossing the Avon along Brunel Way and gazing up from Cumberland Basin, there’s one structure that always grabs your attention: that golden curving terrace, standing high above the rest, jutting out improbably over the Gorge.

That’s The Paragon.

The Paragon stands just above Windsor Terrace, which was built on an equally challenging bit of hillside; so challenging, in fact, that it bankrupted its builder.

76 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

John Drew took up the mantle, managing to complete Windsor Terrace before optimistically starting on The Paragon. Drew went bust halfway through the building works, and the western end was eventually completed in 1814 by Stephen Hunter.

Two fortunes lost, then, but what a gain for Clifton; both terraces are fabulous creations, with some of the best views in the city – perhaps in any city.

However, if push came to shove – in a game of property Top Trumps, let’s say – surely it’s The Paragon, with its golden curves and jauntily-striped tented balconies, that would be judged the fairer of the two.

And its beauty isn’t restricted to one side, either; while many Georgian terraces look serenely homogeneous from the front, their back elevations can be an entirely different matter, often being a hodge-podge of carelessly added additions and extensions. The Paragon, by contrast, is equally lovely whichever way you look at it.

In fact, that golden convex curve that catches the eye as you gaze up at Clifton from below is the back of the row, while the front – the concave that curves protectively around the Paragon’s private residents’ gardens – features the distinctive bowed porches you can see on page 80.

Which longish preamble finally takes us to our home of the issue: the Grade-II* Georgian property that forms one of the 15 town houses in The Paragon. The house is as vast as its architecture is arresting, spreading in a

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

t: 0117 279 0980 | m: 07956 846307 e: simon@bristolcityroofing.co.uk

www. bristolcityroofing.co.uk

HOUSE NUMBERS Bedrooms 6 Reception rooms

4

Bathrooms 3 Gardens 1/3 acre private garden, terrace,

balcony, share of residents’ garden Price

£POA

Hydes of Bristol, 28 Princess Victoria Street Clifton; 0117 973 1516; hydes.co.uk

leisurely fashion over five storeys, not counting the cellar.

While the house overflows with elegant period features – intricate ceiling mouldings, fireplaces, shuttered sash windows, an elegant stairwell – a recent refurbishment has fine-tuned the space to delight 21st-century sensibilities; six bedrooms are served by three bath or shower rooms, for example, while the hall floor has an open-plan living space that opens to an outside terrace.

The first-floor drawing room is a beauty, with fullheight sash windows opening to a wrought iron, canopied balcony, from which you can gaze across the south of the city as far as Dundry.

As is often the case with grand Georgian homes, the lower ground floor could easily become self-contained, having its own outer door; ideal as a home office, or a space to stash children you have slightly outgrown, or elderly parents you can only tolerate in small doses.

The clincher, if indeed any further clinching were required, comes in the form of a private landscaped garden of around a third of an acre; you’ll also have access to the residents’ private gardens at the front of the terrace; mainly lawned, with woodland pathways leading down gentle slopes into the Gorge, with a communal BBQ and seating area and views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and Ashton Court. n

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 79

BRISTOL LIVES

“After a friend of mine convinced me to try her local running club, I found a sense of belonging” impacting my confidence and lifestyle. I’m now training for The USA challenge in May 2022 where I will run and cycle 14,000 miles unaided across all 50 US states, aiming to raise £500,000 for the 401 Foundation.

BEN SMITH Portishead’s marathon man explains how he transformed his mind and body through running, and put his new-found athleticism to use raising money for charity

B

en’s that guy who ran 401 marathons in 401 days, raising over £330,000 for anti-bullying charities. When he’s not doing that, he delivers inspirational talks to schools and businesses worldwide, manages online confidence and self-esteem building challenges and runs a mental health foundation.

I got into running around 10

years ago after suffering from a transient ischaemic attack, where I briefly lost my sight, hearing and feeling in my left arm. Running wasn’t an obvious choice for me; I had no affiliation with sport when I was growing up, and as an adult I was an overweight smoker, heavy drinker and workaholic. The TIA changed all of this and after

a friend of mine convinced me to try her local running club I found a sense of belonging; the rest is history.

While running, I used to listen to any music as long as it had a

good beat. But as I got more into marathons, and during the 401 Challenge I would just take in the silence and surroundings. During recent training, I’ve gone back to the headphones, and found music has helped, particularly during the pandemic.

I started running for charity

in 2014, running 18 marathons across the globe. I then focused my fundraising efforts on two anti-bullying charities; Kidscape and Stonewall, for the 401 Challenge in 2015 and 2016. This was very personal, as I was badly bullied at school, profoundly

82 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The 401 Foundation was set up

in 2017, to help people empower themselves and their local communities to build confidence, self-esteem and promote positive mental health. We firmly believe everyone has the right to ‘find their happy’ and aim to provide support, empathy, and care so we can truly make a positive difference.

I train one step at a time. It’s a struggle to fit in all the training required especially when there is so much going on to keep both the 401 Challenge and the 401 Foundation running. Training is now part of my life, and I incorporate cycling, running and strength and conditioning sessions into my weekly life calendar.

I have an incredibly strong vision of what I want to achieve.

After spending about 20 years meeting others’ expectations, the TIA was a catalyst to focus on what makes me truly happy.

Running every day does this. I can use it to help others find their happiness, too.

I’ve lived in Portishead for around 16 years now. I love the town for so many reasons; the people, the fact that it’s a big town with a small-town feel, the

marina, nature reserve, coastal paths and lake grounds. I honestly couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Despite growing, it hasn’t changed much. It still has a real sense of community and pride.

My favourite Bristol place is Wapping Wharf, with its bars and restaurants and chilled atmosphere. My husband and I particularly like Cargo Cantina, eating tacos and drinking margaritas in the sun.

We’ve just got an allotment

and planting has started. We’ve decided to only plant what we eat for the first year, such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, sweet potatoes, beetroot and tomatoes. I love spending time there; it’s so quiet and peaceful, it really helps recalibrate the mind.

I love to cook – some say my risotto is pretty special. There have been a few suggestions of running a food van sometime in the future, but I’m pretty busy right now, so may need to finish these challenges first.

I’ve achieved so much in the past five years, but my other half

tells me that I should take time to reflect on this more rather than just moving on to the next thing.

He’s right, but don’t tell him that.

Immediately after answering these questions I’m going for

a run in the glorious sunshine – must remember to put on sunscreen…

For more: the401foundation.co.uk