Shipshape 1 - Spring 2010

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Shipshape spring 2010

www.shipshapebristol.com

Celebrating the very best of Bristol’s historic harbourside

Interviews

Features

Events

Local author James Russell Destination Bristol’s Zoe Swindell

A new museum for Bristol Cumberland Basin lock gates

Eurydice at Bristol Old Vic Gastronomic treats at Glassboat

bristol international classical season spring 2010 saturday 27 march bristol choral society bach: st john passion a glorious and dramatic re-telling of christ’s betrayal, arrest, trail and crucifixion thursday 22 april bournemouth symphony orchestra tasmin little plays bruch’s scottish fantasy alongside sibelius symphony no 5 tuesday 11 may moscow state symphony orchestra a russian feast with rachmaninov, shostakovich and borodin

box office +44 (0)117 922 3686 www.colstonhall.org

contents

Welcome ... to Shipshape, the brand new magazine celebrating the best of Bristol’s historic harbourside. With its wealth of restaurants, galleries, entertainment venues and historical landmarks, this growing cultural quarter has fast become a must-visit destination for Bristol’s residents and visitors alike. And since we love the area as much as you do, we thought it deserved its very own magazine. Leaf through these pages to learn more about the characters and buildings that have helped make the city what it is today and find out all you need to know about the latest events along the waterside. We’ve also launched a new complementary website, so go for a browse, join in the debates or simply say hello at www.shipshapebristol.co.uk

Contents News & events 4

The hottest tickets over the coming months

I ❤ harbourside 6

Bristol’s new museum unveiled page 8

Clockwise from left: Eat chocolate at Glassboat, page 5; Amy Macdonald lights up the Colston Hall, page 5; M-Shed’s colourful hoardings, page 8; Redcliffe Press’s latest publication, page 5; BAM Nuttall breathes new life into Cumberland Basin, p15;

An interview with Destination Bristol’s Zoe Swindell

In with the new 8 What’s in store at the M-Shed

Getting around 12

Harbourside map & ferry guide

Lock, dock and barrel 15

BAM Nuttall’s Matt Ewing on Bristol’s new lock gates

Urban retreat 17

Lounging, luxury and lunch at Clifton’s Lido

Harbourside directory 18 The very best of the waterside

10 things you never knew… 22 … about the Harbourside

Shipshape Magazine Issue 1, spring. Shipshape is published by The Group of Seven Editorial, design and production: thegroupofseven.co.uk. Advertising enquiries: Paul Kurnyta – paul@thelocalmarketingbusiness.co.uk / 07791 763987 Want to get involved in future issues of Shipshape magazine? Drop us a line on 01225 448891 or email us on info@shipshapebristol.co.uk Disclaimer The information contained in this publication is provided as a general guide only. While every care is taken to ensure that the details are as accurate as possible, we make no warranty or representation, express or implied, about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication. The views or opinions expressed in this publication are strictly those of the authors. The publishers and/or any of its associated companies or business partners accept no responsibility for damage or loss, howsoever caused, arising directly or indirectly from reliance upon any information obtained from this publication.

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arts and events

Theatre

Eurydice Bristol Old Vic, 13-17 Apr, £12/£15 bristololdvic.org.uk The New York Times called celebrated American playwright Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice “devastatingly lovely – and just plain devastating”. Eurydice is in love with Orpheus but when she receives a letter from her dead father on her wedding day, she falls down a flight of stairs and wakes up in the underworld with absolutely no memory. Will she ever make it back to her husband in the land of the living? The European premiere comes from the folks behind the awardwinning hit The Brothers Size.

MUSIC Spend an evening with the artist whom Elton John affectionately refers to as “the greatest songwriter on the planet”.

Rufus Wainwright, Colston Hall, 23 April, colstonhall.org Pic: Alex Lake

Theatre

TheTempest Tobacco Factory Theatre, 25 Mar-1 May, £12-£20, sattf.org.uk The award-winning Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory (SATTF) celebrates its 11th year with “a season of Shakespearean magic”, a brace of plays that explore love, loss, humanity and the nature of theatre. If you’ve picked up this magazine early, you may still have time to catch A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which runs until 20 March.

However, we’re booking our tickets for the Bard’s last major play, The Tempest. Having been ousted by his brother and cast adrift on the ocean with his infant daughter, Prospero (Ian Barritt) finds himself master of an island, luring his enemies using a tempest which causes their ships to run aground on his shore.

Art BLOP: Bristol’s Live Open Platform Arnolfini, 27 – 28 Mar, £10/£12, arnolfini.org.uk New and established UKbased live-art practitioners showcase their work. Taking place throughout the building, the weekend will consist of live art, experimental theatre, installation, durational performance, film and video, digital practices, performance writing and socio-political activism.

Shipshape

Read

Eat Glassboat Welsh Back, Bristol, 0117 929 0704, glassboat.co.uk Scrumptious treats await you down on Welsh Back this April as Glassboat follow up their successful Cheese Fest with a month’s worth of food-related events.

First up is Love Chocolate on 4 April, which, as the name suggests, celebrates the sweet treat in all its forms. On 13 April Trethowan’s Dairy and Great Western Wine co-host a delicious wine and cheese evening before Glassboat serves up proper British grub to celebrate St George’s Day on 23 April (£35 for four courses and coffee).

❉

Music Amy Macdonald Colston Hall, 3 Apr, £20.50, colstonhall.org Following the success of her debut album This Is The Life, which went to number one in five countries and shifted over three million copies, Amy Macdonald returns with her second offering, A Curious Thing. As part of her UK tour, the 22-year-old Scottish singer-songwriter calls into Colston Hall to showcase her new material.

Shipshape

Discovering Harbourside: A Journey into the Heart of Bristol

by James Russell with photography by Stephen Morris To describe writer James Russell as having conducted a long-term affair with Bristol’s harbourside would be an understatement. “You can clearly see the layers of history going back through the centuries,” he says.

“If you stand in the middle of the centre and use a bit of imagination, you can easily picture it in the Middle Ages, when Bristol had the most up-to-date port in England. There are details all around the streets nearby, from the plaster crest on the wall of the Merchant’s Almshouse on King Street to the iron mooring posts around the docks, each with its maker’s name or initials on the top. You can walk behind the ss Great Britain and look down into the dry dock used by David Abels for boatbuilding - it’s been there since about 1820, surviving Nazi bombs and the city council’s determined efforts to wreck the harbour back in the 1970s.”

If such lyrical detail whets your appetite for rediscovering an area of Bristol that you may think you’re already familiar with, James’s new book is guaranteed to set your heart a-fluttering.

‘Discovering Harbourside: A Journey into the Heart of Bristol’ hits the shelves in May 2010. The book’s publisher John Sansom - producer of over 200 books about Bristol, a recipient of

the 2008 Lord Mayor’s Medal for Services to the City and a man described in the local press as ‘a civic treasure’ - shares James’s enthusiasm for the glorious waterfront at the heart of a thriving contemporary city.

“The docks are where Bristol came from, but I love the way the area has been reinvented for everyone,” says John. “There’s a cosy, small-scale feel to the area that sets it apart from similar regeneration schemes - a wonderful mix of recreation, housing and small-scale industry.”

The idea for the book came about during James’s many walking and cycling trips around the docks. “I would stop and watch the boat builders working on Redcliffe Wharf,” he recalls. “Boats have been built in Bristol for over a thousand years; I love the idea that people have lived and worked in the same place for so long. I started looking more closely at the places I passed every day and reading old books about the port.

When I started writing about the area, I tried to make the book reflect my own experiences - it’s a series of small but fascinating journeys of discovery.”

For John, his favourite ‘discoveries’ around the harbourside already include riverstation (“preferably at a table facing Phoenix Wharf and St Mary Redcliffe, with the sun glinting on the water”) and the Museum of Bristol, especially at night.

So where would James’s personal harbourside hotspot be? “Outside the Nova Scotia on a sunny day, watching the old boys tinker about on their boats with a pint of Thatchers in my hand!” he says. Might we suggest that if you follow in either James’s or John’s footsteps, you take a copy of their book with you? (Juliette Phillips) ‘Discovering Harbourside: A Journey into the Heart of Bristol’ by James Russell, published May 2010 by Redcliffe Press (£14.99).

Visit www.redcliffepress.co.uk for further information

More

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interview

i❤ harbourside Shipshape talks to Zoe Swindell, Harbourside project manager for Destination Bristol, about what makes the city unique and what 2010 has in store

Tell us a little bit about your role I’m the Harbourside project manager for Destination Bristol, an organisation that exists to promote and raise the profile of the Bristol city region as a world-class place to visit, study, play, work and live. My role is focused on delivering improvements around the harbour, making it an even better place for local people and visitors to explore and enjoy.

All pics (except Zoe): thegroupofseven.co.uk

What do you think makes Bristol such a great destination?

There’s a strong sense of history and heritage and a great choice of places to visit, stay, eat and shop. Attractions such as Brunel’s ss Great Britain, Bristol Zoo Gardens, At-Bristol and Blue Reef Aquarium are second to none, and cover all ages and interests. The city plays host to a wide range of excellent festivals and outdoor events; the Balloon Fiesta and the Harbour Festival are internationally recognised. Shopping, whether you’re looking for independent stores or the high street, is also excellent.

What does Bristol have that other cities don’t?

Bristol’s unique position means that it has beautiful countryside and coastline on its doorstep, and a cosmopolitan feel without being claustrophobic. Where else can you catch a ferry from the train station to go shopping?

We also have a fantastic brand new Tourist Information Centre, located on Harbourside, next to Watershed Media Centre, offering a wide range of information and advice to tourists and residents to help them make the most of Bristol.

Do you think the Cabot Circus redevelopment has attracted more interest in the city?

Most definitely. Before Cabot Circus opened, Bristol used to lag behind Cardiff, Bath and Birmingham in the shopping stakes. Now we have fantastic six

shopping to suit all tastes and budgets. It has shown people what good regeneration can look like and given the city something to feel proud of. It has also created momentum to improve other areas in the city. This has certainly helped with what Destination Bristol is hoping to achieve on Harbourside. We’re surrounded by a lot of energy and some great ideas.

And what about the Harbourside redevelopment?

The area around Bristol’s Floating Harbour is a fantastic stretch of public realm. We’re so lucky to have the water on our doorstep.

The opening of the new Museum of Bristol, M-Shed, in spring 2011 will be a hugely exciting development that will really put the area on the map and complement the existing cultural attractions such as the Arnolfini, Spike Island arts centre and Brunel’s ss Great Britain. I hope that in the next 12 months people will come down and take a fresh look at the city’s waterfront in the same way that they have done with Broadmead and Cabot Circus.

The coming year is looking pretty packed: what events are you most looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to this year’s Wine and Food Fair (2-4 July) and the Harbour Festival (30 July-1 August). July will be especially exciting as At-Bristol will celebrate its 10th anniversary and Brunel’s ss Great Britain will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ship’s return to Bristol, so you can expect a bumper month of fun.

Is there anything else new on the calendar for 2010?

In addition to July’s anniversary celebrations, September will see the Brunel Institute open its doors. This means a worldclass specialist library and the Brunel archive will be accessible to all. Also, on 24 September Ashton Court will host the start of the Gordon Bennett 2010 International Gas Balloon Race –

the oldest and most prestigious aeronautical race in the world!

Bristol is renowned for being a green city: is this important to visitors?

It is increasingly important, yes. Bristol is a Fairtrade City, the UK’s first Cycling City and the only UK city nominated for The European Green Capital Award 2010/11. These credentials, along with over 450 parks and green spaces, make it easy to see why Bristol has earned its status as a Green Capital. We have a whole section of the Visit Bristol website dedicated to green places to visit, eat and stay, and Destination Bristol is constantly looking to expand, develop and promote a greener tourism agenda.

What do you particularly love about the city?

I love the mix of water, city hustle and bustle, and green open spaces. For food, I love the laid-back vibe and view of the water at the Olive Shed, the Grain Barge and Spyglass. For romantic dining, it has to be Brasserie Blanc or the Glassboat. For cake and coffee, the Arnolfini Cafe Bar. Browns is an old favourite – it’s such a beautiful building and great for lazy lunches and early evening cocktails. For drinks, I also like the Watershed Cafe Bar and The Mall in Clifton Village. As for landmarks, I love the coloured terraces of Cliftonwood and Totterdown, the Suspension Bridge and the Wills Building when it’s lit up at night. I also love the ‘old world’ feel of Queen Square, where Destination Bristol is based. Ashton Court Estate and Leigh Woods are two of my favourite walking spots.

And finally…

If you’ve not taken a tour of Bristol by boat, then do so this summer – you really do get an amazing and totally different view of the city.

More

visitbristol.co.uk / 0333 321 0101 Shipshape

interview

“The opening of the new Museum of Bristol will be a hugely exciting development that will really put the area on the map�

Zoe Swindell

Shipshape

Clockwise: Skipper Rob Salvidge works on the Matthew; the Floating Harbour; Underfall Yard; workers on the waterside.

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Inw then feature

After Banksy’s blockbuster exhibition last year, are museums finally cool? asks Laura Dixon I’m not sure what I think about museums.

On the one hand, I love things to do. Once my out-of-town friends have been to the Suspension Bridge, the Arnolfini and Ashton Court, I’m not sure exactly what to show them of Bristol. So the new M-Shed museum, opening next spring, could be a great solution. On the other hand, I find local history really boring. Last year’s Banksy exhibition did some really great things for the City Museum, but really, underneath it all, wasn’t the excitement all about the fact that he’d broken all the rules and brought anarchy to a dry and dusty establishment?

That act of rebellion was right up my street but I’m not sure I’d go back to check out the geological exhibits I missed.

I was thinking about this when I started investigating what’s going on at Princes Wharf. The former Industrial Museum building, on the railway tracks across the bridge from the Arnolfini, has had a fullscale £26.5m revamp dedicated to creating a museum all about Bristol. My heart sank a bit – what on earth is all that money going on? And when I heard that the old bus that was in the Industrial Museum was to play a key part in the new M-Shed, it sank even further. Hardly a revolution, I thought. But that’s before I knew the full picture.

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“It’s a really innovative project,” explains Lucie Edmonds, exhibition interpreter at Event Communications.

The exhibition design company was tasked with the role of creating the displays inside and certainly has the credentials to pull it off, having previously been contracted to work for the V&A, Natural History Museum and many other world-class galleries. “The challenge is to make it more than a local history museum, and with its strong focus on community, it’s really unusual.

The content, for a start, is open-ended and we’re using iconic items from around the city but reinterpreting them, so you can experience what it was like at great moments of history in the city and find out about its people.”

Once the dust has cleared from the renovation work in the next month, the former 1950s transit shed will be unveiling its new look. Already above the graffitied hoardings you can see repointed brickwork, newly painted sliding doors and some stunning floor to ceiling windows. These are a key part of the design, according to Rebecca Burton, deputy head of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives.

Continued on page ten

Main pic: an artist’s impression of M-Shed’s new ground-floor Place Gallery.

Inset: Samuel Colman’s St James’s Fair, Bristol, 1824

Shipshape & Bristol Fashion

Pics: Bristol City Council

with new Shipshape & Bristol Fashion

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feature

ten

“We’ve got hanging cantilevered staircases ... and the views are a huge part of it.

They provide an interesting context set against the exhibits” Rebecca Burton

This pic, above and far right: Bristol City Council

“What strikes you most is the amazing picture frame views of Bristol,” she says. “You can’t get them anywhere else. We’ve also got some real feature spaces in the museum: the galleries are large, the foyer areas are huge and there’s a real sense of arrival. We’ve got hanging cantilevered staircases built by a local engineering company in Taunton and the views are a huge part of it. They provide an interesting context set against the exhibits.”

The museum is set on three floors, with three permanent exhibition spaces, a cafe, the obligatory museum shop and an event space at the top. The first gallery, on the ground floor, is about Place. It will include the old Lodekka bus from the Industrial Museum, reinterpreted by Event Communications to explore Bristolians’ journeys around the city, as well as a 19th century fire engine and models of ships.

“It’s more than transport,” says Lucie, “it’s about people and how they interacted with their landscape. This gallery is about place and physical Bristol, and how people have overcome the city’s hills and rivers to get around.”

Upstairs in the second gallery, the focus is on People. “It includes the famous people who lived and worked in Bristol, from Brunel to Banksy,” says Rebecca, ”but also the ordinary people and their roles in Bristol’s key industries, such as the tobacco industry.”

If you’re as bored as I am with celebrity culture, don’t worry. This gallery isn’t a celebration of the people we already know everything about – it’s more about how Bristol’s people have touched the wider world, in all its aspects, from trading to travel and transatlantic slavery. They haven’t shied away from the big issues, and lessons were learned from the Commonwealth and Empire Museum’s recent slavery exhibition, as well as community consultation, to make sure that such a sensitive issue was handled correctly.

The final gallery is called Living Bristol and is all about social lives in the city. In

the past year, the museum has called out to the wider public for contributions to help illustrate what life was like in the 1930s, 1950s and 1980s, and these rich contributions form part of this exhibition, from winkle pickers and teddy-boy suits to magazines and interior design. Key events like the last flight of Concorde, living through the Blitz and the Beatles playing at Colston Hall form part of the experience – you’ll be able to join the crowd as the historic events happen.

What feels particularly exciting about the project is the creation of a living museum.

At several points through the building, visitors will be able to contribute their ideas and experiences of the city, either on paper or via computer terminals to be stored in the archives for use at a later date. The museum won’t feel dried out and dusty, full of exhibits you’ve seen before, but instead will retain a vibrancy and relevance for all of us, whether locals or visitors to the city.

And talking of locals, it would be remiss of me not to mention the local media’s views on the subject. Over the past few years, there has been an enormous amount of vitriol spewed about the new museum, how it’s wasting money on nonsense, a project doomed to failure and a burden on our future tax bills. (For the record, the museum didn’t spend any money on creating the name M-Shed – it paid a company to test the name with community groups and get their approval, which sounds fair enough.)

I’m not sure what’s to be gained from knocking a project that seeks to celebrate the many ways in which Bristol has changed the world. And with such a wide-ranging remit, from the Romans to the Bristol Sound, it’s got enough sources of civic pride to impress anyone, even local history snobs like me. The real shame about this museum is not that it’s cost £26.5m but that we didn’t have a way of celebrating our city and its people already.

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feature

Clockwise: the Harbourside’s cranes at sunset; hanging cantilevered staircases; M-Shed’s graffitied facade; Bristol Lodekka doubledecker bus; Rovers’ League Cup clash with Manchester United

this pic, bottom left, and above: thegroupofseven.co.uk

M-shed in numbers

Shipshape

0.3 ha Total site area, including the cafe and public space beside the building ...

3 Number of permanent galleries: People, Place and Living Bristol ... 8 The original number of cranes along this harbourside.

Four reconditioned cranes remain as part of the museum ... 93 Number of original sliding doors in the building ...

150 Number in tonnes of CO2 saved per year by the museum’s eco-friendly biomass boiler ... 2,000 Number of years of history covered by the museum’s collection ... 3,000 Number of objects from museum and archive collection that have been used, some of which have never been seen before ... 3,000m2 Total area taken by permanent and temporary exhibition spaces ... 5,300 m2 Total floor space inside the museum ... 250,000 Anticipated number of visitors per year ... £11.3million Amount contributed from the Heritage Lottery Fund ... £26.5 million The current cost of creating the museum ...

Spring 2011 Date of opening eleven

harbourside map & ferry guide

getting around the harbourside...

If you’re not familiar with the area (or even if you’re just looking for a little inspiration), our map will help you plan your trip and move around the Harbourside with ease. Use it to find where you are in relation to some of the area’s best-loved landmarks, identify which ferry stops are the most convenient for your journey and locate some of this season’s most exciting events

Harbourside festivals Bristol Eco Veggie Fayre

29-30 May, Lloyds Amphitheatre & Millennium Square MORE bristol.ecoveggiefayre.co.uk

bristol wine & food fair

2-4 July, Lloyds Amphitheatre & Waterfront Square MORE bristolwineandfoodfair.co.uk

bristol harbour festival 31 July-1 August. See next issue for details on this year’s event.

MORE bristolharbourfestival.co.uk

The Grain Barge – great beer

Capricorn Quay l The Cottage – local institution

Mardyke l

l Pump House (for Suspension Bridge)

l Grain Barge

Brunel’s ss Great Britain l

l Marina

Marina l

cross harbour ferry

At-Bristol – family attraction

Jack’s Brasserie l

l Nova Scotia (for Create Centre, Lockside and Tobacco Factory)

l The Cottage

l Olive Shed

Hotwells Route Temple Meads Route Sightseeing – see panel Brunel’s ss Great Britain – award-winning

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Shipshape

harbourside map & ferry guide

Bike hire

Bristol Ferry Boat Co

Following in the tyre tracks of cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Paris, Bristol is now offering a 24-hour bike hire service. The scheme, run by Hourbike, allows anybody over the age of 12 to rent bikes from secure racks located throughout the city for any length of time. Register for £10 and you’ll receive a pin number, which you then tap into a pad and the bike is released. It’s free for the first 30 minutes and £1 per hour or part hour after that. Find Hourbike HUBS at the BRI, Wine Street and At-Bristol

Daily service on both the RED (Hotwells) and the blue (Temple Meads) routes. RED departures from 10.30 at the city centre and blue departures from 10.10 at Temple Meads. Commuter departures Monday to Friday all year round, starts 07.25.

Our ferries are like a bus (a waterbus even), so use us to jump on and get to your favourite attraction, cafe, restaurant, pub, place of work or to enjoy a circular tour enjoying the great sights and sounds of this amazing historic harbour. There is lots to see: swans, geese, a whole array of unusual boats of varying shapes and sizes, St Mary Redcliffe’s spire, Cabot Tower, stunning views towards Ashton Court and Clifton – a vista feast, in fact! See also our entry on page 18

MORE

hourbike.com

Sightseeing

For full details and timetable visit: bristolferry.com Castle Park (for Cabot Circus, Broadmead) l

Bristol Bridge (for St Nicholas Market) l

City Sightseeing Bristol runs open-top bus tours of the city, from the historic harbourside, up to Bristol Zoo in Clifton and beyond. Running from mid-March to the end of October, the tours last for an hour and a quarter but you can hop on and off as you please. Harbourside stops can be found at the CREATE Centre, Baltic Wharf, Brunel’s ss Great Britain, At-Bristol, Prince Street and Bristol Bridge MORE

citysightseeingbristol.co.uk

Glassboat – fine dining & spectacular views

Glassboat l City Centre (for Colston Hall, Cathedral, Park St and main bus routes) l

Temple Bridge l l Welsh Back (for Old Vic) l Spyglass

Watershed l

Millennium Square (for At-Bristol and Blue Reef) l

l Architecture Centre

Arnolfini – alfresco hotspot

l Arnolfini

l Prince Street (for The Louisiana)

l M-Shed (see feature, page 8)

l Mud Dock

l Thekla

Severnshed l l Riverstation

Spyglass – Mediterranean barbecue

l Bathurst Basin The Ostrich l

The Ostrich – arguably Bristol’s best alfresco pint

Shipshape

Temple Quay (for Temple Meads train station) l

l The Apple

Bristol Visitor Information Centre l l Shore Bordeaux Quay l

l Redcliffe Back

Look out for the summer issue of Shipshape - available across the Harbourside from 1 June thirteen

ARNOLFINI EXHIBITIONS Imogen Stidworthy Sat 27 Feb – Sun 25 Apr Otto Zitko & Louise Bourgeois Me, Myself and I Sat 24 Apr – Sun 4 Jul Caroline Bergvall & Ciarán Maher Say Parsley Sat 8 May – Sun 4 Jul

Summer star ts here

Exhibition spaces open 11am - 6pm Tue - Sun & Bank Holiday Mon. Free Image: Otto Zitko (detail), untitled, 2005, Acrylic, Installation view: Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki, Photograph (c) Petri Virtanen / Central Art Archives, Helsinki.

Now open T: 0117 917 2300 / 01 E: BOXOFFICE@ARNOLFINI.ORG.UK 16 NARROW QUAY, BRISTOL BS1 4QA

Spyglass Barbecue & Grill Welsh Back • Bristol • BS1 4SB Tel: 0117 927 7050 www.spyglassbristol.co.uk

WWW.ARNOLFINI.ORG.UK

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Renato’s Taverna dell’Artista 33 King Street, Bristol BS1 4DZ Tel: 0117 929 7712 Email: info@renatos.net

Shipshape offer: 10% off bill for tables of two or more between 7.30pm-9.00pm in the upstairs restaurant, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the duration of March and April. Present this ad when using offer.

feature

Lock, dock & barrel

The crane lifts the specially made limpet dam into place at Junction Lock. Below: the gate bearings were replaced with modern equivalents

Words Rebecca Ewing It wouldn’t take the most observant of you to notice there have been changes afoot at Bristol’s Cumberland Basin. Those oversized cranes, Portakabins, high-vis jackets and hard hats would be the giveaway. And let’s not even mention the traffic diversions around Merchants Road. But don’t expect to see any expensive flats going up anytime soon: the work is actually part of a four-year project that is set to secure the future of the floating harbour for the next 100 years.

The City Docks Capital Project, which is being carried out by BAM Nuttall Ltd, is set to cost around £11m and has been split into three phases – the first phase being the urgent task of improving and repairing the dock’s Victorian lock system.

It will cost £11m to complete but the City Docks Capital Project could well have saved Bristol from disaster.

Shipshape investigates

magic numbers The original pitch-pine gates were 140 years old and weighed in at 80 tonnes apiece ... The new steel gates were made by a Dutch company and weigh 50 tonnes each ... The new lock gates arrived on a floating pontoon and took 48 hours to manoeuvre into position ... The total cost of the project is around £11m ... A commemorative bench was made out of a section of the old gate and presented to Bristol City Council – a feat which is being repeated with a section of the old flood gates ... 10 staff, six BAM direct operatives, six agency workers and 35 subcontractors currently work onsite ... BAM Nuttall’s workforce is 80 per cent local

Work started to take place in October 2008 after Bristol City Council found there was “significant risk” that the 140-year-old gates at Junction Lock could fail. If the gates failed then the water in the floating harbour would go out with the tide, causing the harbour walls to collapse and the nearby buildings and houseboats to go with them – the cost of such a disaster making the £11m budget look miniscule in comparison.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this first phase was quite a challenge for the contractors, as site manager Matt Ewing explains: “Managing the interface between new and Victorian engineering and construction techniques created a few issues. Installing the new gates and ensuring they sealed was the biggest concern – the gates were manufactured in

Holland and we would only know if they were right when they were fitted.”

BAM Nuttall had to first manufacture and install a limpet dam, which allowed them access to the lock floor while keeping water in the harbour – this limpet dam allowed the 140-year-old gate bearings to be replaced with modern equivalents in situ – before setting to work on the gates.

“The old gates weighed 80 tonnes each and were virtually rotten,” Matt explains. “We used a 110-tonne crane on a barge to lift the old gates out of their hinges and then manoeuvred the barge into Cumberland Basin for removal, which we did via a 500-tonne crane set up outside the Lockside restaurant. The new gates [50 tonnes apiece] were much easier

to handle as we knew the construction and could design lifting points.

Again, we used the mobile crane and floating crane to slot these into place.”

The new gates were successfully installed in March 2009 but the work didn’t stop there. Phase 2 of the project – which aims to improve Bristol’s flood defences through the installation of new floodgates at Junction Lock and by upgrading the current operating system at Entrance Lock – kicked off in September 2009 and, despite some incredibly inclement conditions, looks set for a successful finale in summer 2010.

“The weather through the winter months certainly gave us some problems,” Matt admits, “but hopefully a good spring will allow us to maintain the programme and achieve completion on time.”

More bamnuttall.co.uk/bristolharbourgates Shipshape

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Upcoming events at Glassboat April 4 Eat Chocolate Chocoholics delight as Glassboat hosts a festival of Chocolate on the harbourside April 13 Wine and Cheese evening with Trethowan Dairy and Great Western Wine April 23 St Georges Day An evening of proper British Grub with music by the Rinky Dinks! ÂŁ35 for 4 courses and coffee For more information please contact Kirstie on 0117 9290704 or restaurant@glassboat.co.uk Welsh Back Bristol BS1 4SB 0117 929 0704 bookings@glassboat.co.uk www.glassboat.co.uk

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Creatively.

Meticulously.

Maybe the secret is little more than the years of experience or maybe it’s an obsession with getting things right.

Event Organisers of the Year 2006/2007/2009

Make sure you get off at the right stop Richmond Event Management Ltd 59 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QH

www.choosewellbristol.nhs.uk

Tel 0117 9276614 Fax 0117 9221497 Email info@rem-events.com

www.rem-events.com

feature

Saved from developers and transformed into an urbane urban oasis, Clifton’s Lido is making waves for Bristol’s sybarites

This pic: the low-chlorine, heated infinity pool. Inset: delicious treats on offer in the restaurant and bar

urban retreat Words Rebecca Ewing Down an unassuming side street in Clifton, far from the madding crowds (and maddening students), you’ll find a little piece of holistic heaven. Indeed, if your idea of luxury is enjoying lazy laps in an alfresco pool followed by a lazy brunch in a fancy restaurant, you probably already have Clifton’s Lido on speed dial.

Since opening just over a year ago, the Lido has fast become the go-to destination for Bristolians looking for a piece of poolside pampering. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a history that’s as colourful as those cubicle curtains.

The Lido originally opened its doors in 1850, charging one shilling for entry (including two towels), and remained in business for the next 100 years. Sometime in the 1930s it became the first electrically heated pool in the UK, but by 1990 the Lido had lost its lustre and closed after allegedly springing a leak.

After enduring over a decade of uncertainty, along came Bristol’s Glassboat Company (the team behind the Glassboat and Spyglass restaurants) who took this dilapidated 19th century building and, with the help of local campaigners, saved it from developers, transforming it into a stylish oasis. Out went

the decaying pool (and with it the plans to turn the site into flats) and in came tranquil colours, candy-stripe curtains, a first-class cafe and restaurant, and a deeply indulgent spa.

The Lido finally reopened for business in November 2008 – some 18 years after it last closed its doors – marking a satisfying and successful end to two years’ painstaking restoration work bringing this grade II listed building back to life.

The hard work has paid off: the Lido was awarded a four-bubble rating from the Good Spa Guide (the UK’s top independent spa guide), won the Best Small Renewable Energy Scheme in the South West England Green Energy Awards and even made an appearance on BBC’s The One Show. You, on the other hand, get to enjoy the low-chlorine, heated infinity pool, sauna and steam room, restaurant and poolside bar, and the Lido Spa, which offers a range of classic, holistic and seasonal treatments for both sexes (see panel).

Spend a day at the Lido, say the owners, and you’ll feel as though you’ve been on a luxury weekend break. Shipshape, for one, can’t wait to test that theory out.

super spa Top 5 treatments

The Perfect Hawaiian Ritual 120 minutes of pure indulgence. Enjoy a black sand scrub with white ginger before the Hawaiian lomi lomi massage works out all the knots ... Kundalini Back Massage Your beautician will blend essential oils and the ancient techniques of massage and chakra healing to help balance your nervous system ... Bio-Energising Body Wrap Feeling drained? This scrub followed by a full body wrap helps revitalise the skin and draw toxins from the body ... Rainforest Rejuvenation Facial Restorative facial that uses extracts from the Amazonian rainforest to help remove toxins and encourage natural cell regeneration ... Lido Classic Full Body Massage Keep it simple with this classic one-hour massage Lido Restaurant, Spa & Pool, Oakfield Place, Bristol, BS8 2BJ. 0117 933 9530, spa@lidobristol.com, lidobristol.com

LIDO swim & dine Offer turn to page 19 Shipshape

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shipshape directory

Arnolfini Contemporary Arts Centre 16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA 0117 917 2300/01, arnolfini.org.uk Opening hours: Exhibition Spaces: TuesdaySunday 11am-6pm; Bookshop: Tuesday 11am6pm, Wednesday-Saturday 11am-8pm, Sunday 11am-7pm; Café bar: Daily from 10am

At-Bristol

Anchor Road, BS1 5DB 0845 345 1235, at-bristol.org.uk

Bordeaux Quay

V Shed, Canon’s Road, BS1 5UH 0117 906 5550, bordeaux-quay.co.uk Opening hours: brasserie: open every day; restaurant: open Tuesday-Sunday, closed Mondays

Bristol Ferry Boat Company

For full details visit: bristolferry.com

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Based at the heart of Bristol’s harbourside, in a fantastic waterside location, Arnolfini is one of Europe’s leading centres for the contemporary arts. Arnolfini features a regularly changing programme, presenting visual art, live art and performance, dance, music, cinema, poetry and literature events and a busy interaction programme of tours and talks. Arnolfini boasts one of the best arts bookshops in the country and a stylish, lively café bar featuring an Italian inspired and children’s menu. Free admission to the building, exhibitions and café bar.

One of the country’s leading interactive science centres, At-Bristol boasts over 300 exhibits (from becoming an animator for the day to building your own flying object), live shows and a Planetarium, in which you can discover how to spot seasonal constellations and learn more about the science behind the stars. Also boasts the 350-seater IMAX 3D cinema and the new £4m Blue Reef Aquarium, which takes you to the “spectacular ‘underwater gardens’ of the Mediterranean and the stunning beauty of tropical waters”.

This classy, spacious food venue is the UK’s first eco restaurant to achieve a gold rating under the Soil Association’s sustainable catering scheme. Find a restaurant on the first floor, a brasserie on the ground floor for more casual dining, a fantastically well-stocked bar (with Sunday night gigs and a delicious cocktail list), and a deli and bakery serving handmade BQ products. Aspiring chefs can also hone their skills at the cookery school – visit the website to download the courses on offer for adults and children.

Daily services travel between Temple Meads and the city centre (calling at Cabot Circus) as well as Hotwells and the city centre on their distinctive yellow and blue boats. Public trips include: Gorgeous Gorge, Beeses Tea Gardens for tea or BBQs, and Wildlife. Their private charters are very popular for all your events, with birthdays and booze cruises proving top of the list. Quote ‘Shipshape magazine first edition’ and receive a 10% discount off any of their three-hour charters.

For a map of the service – complete with ferry stops – and more information, turn to pages 12 & 13.

Shipshape

shipshape directory

Brunel’s Buttery

Wapping Wharf, BS1 6DS 0117 929 1696 Opening hours: Monday-Friday 8am-4pm; Saturday-Sunday 8am-5pm

Brunel’s ss Great Britain

Great Western Dockyard, BS1 6TY 0117 926 0680, ssgreatbritain.org Opening hours: daily (except 24 and 25 December) 10am-4.30pm (to 26 March) or 5.30pm (26 March-31 October)

Colston Hall

Colston Street, BS1 5AR 0117 922 3686, colstonhall.org Opening hours: Box Office: Monday–Saturday 10am-6pm; H Bar café: Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 10am-9pm; H Bar Bistro: Daily 11.30am-3pm and 5-11pm

Glassboat

Welsh Back, BS1 4SB 0117 929 0704, glassboat.co.uk Opening hours: lunch: Tuesday-Friday 12-2.30pm; dinner: Monday-Saturday 5.30-10.30pm; Sunday brunch: 10am-4pm

Shipshape

Situated on the water’s edge between the ss Great Britain and the new Museum of Bristol, Brunel’s Buttery is something of a Bristol institution, serving up cheap, cheerful and very tasty lunches and stomach-filling snacks to the ravenous hordes. They’re famed for their chunky bacon sandwiches but you can customise your buttie by adding sausage, egg, cheese or mushrooms (or all of the above, if you’re particularly peckish). There’s also a selection of cakes and hot drinks for after. Take your food away or eat on the tables outside.

Brunel’s ss Great Britain (the world’s first great ocean liner) reopened in 2006 after a raft of improvements and is now an award-winning visitor attraction. Experience what life was like on board for some of the people who travelled on her (complete with sights, sounds and smells), get up close and personal with the hull or search for Sinbad the ship’s cat. Take advantage of the audio-guide, which will tell you all you need to know as you make your way around the ship, from the first-class dining saloon to the engine room and beyond.

Colston Hall is Bristol’s premier live music venue hosting a varied and regular programme of rock and pop, classical, leftfield and comedy events.

In the past year Snow Patrol, London Symphony Orchestra and Grace Jones have all played at the Hall. In 2009, Colston Hall’s new foyer building was opened to the public. Built with £20 million from Bristol City Council and the Arts Council, the new foyer has improved the customer experience of visiting the Hall with audiences now able to enjoy their new café bar, restaurant and interval bars in light and spacious surroundings.

Well-established and much-loved floating restaurant that’s been serving Bristol’s foodfanatics for nearly 25 years and now boasting an entirely glass aft section.

Beautiful views of Bristol Bridge and beyond, knowledgeable staff, an extensive wine list and a locally sourced, seasonal menu can all be found here. The lower deck can also be hired out for breakfast, lunch, dinner and half- or full-day events for up to 40. Take advantage of their Express Lunch menu: two courses for £10 (Tuesday to Saturday). nineteen

shipshape directory

Lido Restaurant, Spa & Pool Oakfield Place, BS8 2BJ 0117 933 9530, lidobristol.com OFFER Book a table in the restaurant before 7pm or after 9pm and enjoy free use of the pool and facilities before dinner. Just quote ‘shipshape swim and dine’ when booking on 0117 933 9530. Offer available Monday to Friday Opening hours: restaurant: 12-3pm and 6.3010pm; spa: 7am-10pm; poolside bar: all day

The Matthew

When in Bristol check website for mooring location 0117 927 6868, matthew.co.uk

RENATO’S TAVERNA DELL’ARTISTA 33 King Street, BS1 4DZ 0117 929 7712, info@renatos.net Opening hours: Restaurant: 5.30pm-midnight (Tuesday-Saturday); Bar: 5.30pm-2am (Tuesday-Saturday)

Shore cafe bar

Narrow Quay, BS1 4QF 0117 923 0333, doylecollection.com Open daily

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A 21st century spa, restaurant and alfresco pool housed in beautifully renovated 19th century surroundings. The Lido originally opened its doors in 1850 and remained in business for over 100 years before falling into disrepair in 1990. The Glassboat Company saved the building from developers (who wanted to turn the site into flats) and restored the buildings to their former gory, reopening in November 2008. Find a heated, low-chlorine infinity pool, sauna and steam room, restaurant and poolside bar, and luxurious spa.

swim and dine offer

A magnificent replica of a Tudor merchant ship which recreated the Atlantic crossing by explorer John Cabot. He was searching for a sailing route to Asia but ended up “discovering” Newfoundland. Get the best views of Bristol harbour from the deck on one of their regular public cruises – fish and chip suppers on board are extremely popular – or you can venture down the scenic Avon Gorge under the Clifton Suspension Bridge. There are also offshore sailing opportunities and the ship is available for private hire – check website for sailing programme.

Charm, atmosphere, hospitality and gorgeous food have been served up in this legendary restaurant and pizza bar for the past 40 years. Well known for its warm welcome and connection with the arts world it has become a favourite haunt for actors, musicians and theatre-goers alike, and of course the many cherished generations of loyal customers.

Complemented by its late night Pizza Bar downstairs (open until 2am), Renato’s Taverna strikes a fine balance between elegance and informality.

The Shore Cafe Bar, inspired by Bristol’s heritage, affords great people-watching opportunities as you park yourself in front of the big windows and observe the hustle and bustle of the harbour outside. Food ranges from a simple bagel and coffee, to a zesty light luncheon, to a classic fish and chip supper via olives, wraps, jackets, charcuterie and more. Boasts an extensive wine and cocktail list and a good selection of lager and bottled beer. If you’re looking for something more formal, the River Grille serves classic English dishes with a twist.

Shipshape

shipshape directory

Spyglass

Welsh Back, BS1 4SB 0117 927 7050, spyglassbristol.co.uk Opening hours: daily 11am-11pm

St Nicholas Market

Corn Street, BS1 1JQ stnicholasmarketbristol.co.uk

Tobacco Factory Raleigh Road, BS3 1TF 0117 902 0344 (theatre)/0117 902 0060 (cafe-bar), tobaccofactory.com Opening hours: Monday-Thursday 12-11pm; Friday-Saturday 12pm-12am; Sunday 10am-11pm.

Watershed

1 Canon’s Road, BS1 5TX 0117 927 5100, watershed.co.uk Opening hours: box office: Monday-Friday 9am-10pm; Saturday & Sunday from 10am

Shipshape

Contemporary 170-seater alfresco-style restaurant split between a converted barge and quayside with ample heaters, should the British weather not be playing ball. Serves simple, tasty, well-priced Mediterranean fare, including a selection of main courses from the barbecue (average price: £7), salads, tapas and desserts. Groups of eight or more can order a party menu, which includes mezze to share and a choice of mains and desserts.

Also plays host to a range of food-related events and live music.

Spectacular market found in the heart of the Old City. Such is the variety on offer from these local independents, you can drop in for some lunch, get your shoes fixed, grab a bag of sweets, buy clothes, browse for vinyl and more. If you like your food local and direct from the producers, don’t miss the perennially popular Farmers’ Market every Wednesday on Corn Street and Wine Street (9.30am-2.30pm), selling everything from fresh meat to fruit and veg, cheese, honey, bread and fish.

Another Bristol building that was saved from demolition, this time by famous Bristol architect George Ferguson who developed the site into a multi-use building with a staunch independent-only policy. The Tobacco Factory cafe-bar serves up food (healthy, Mediterranean-stye fare), drink and art exhibitions in tough, industrial surroundings.

The Tobacco Factory Theatre plays host to a huge range of shows (including productions by the renowned Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory) alongside a regular programme of workshops and events aimed at young people.

Promoting creativity, innovation and talent from a grade II listed building in the heart of Bristol.

Find an extensive cinema programme, digital media, a variety of events (including Encounters Short Film Festival) and social cafe-bar, serving organic, seasonal, locally sourced and ethically produced food. Cinébabies is a weekly daytime screening specially created for parents and babies; DShed is an online showcase of creative work, commissions, talks, journals and more. Watershed can also be hired out for conferences and events. twenty one

and finally

10 things ... you never knew about the Harbourside

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It plays host to music festivals and organic food fairs but there’s plenty more to the waterfront than meets the eye.

Read on to find out 10 fascinating facts about our favourite part of the city…

The harbour covers an area of 70 acres

It’s called a floating harbour as the water level remains constant thanks to the installation of lock gates in the early 19th century

Bristol Harbour Festival attracts 200,000 annual visitors

The regeneration of the Canon’s Marsh area is reported to be costing around £240m

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Bristol Bridge was originally lined with houses five storeys high

Clockwise: Bristol Harbour Festival; the Matthew; the River Avon; Bristol Bridge

Pero’s Bridge, which crosses St Augustine’s Reach, is named after a slave who lived in the area in the late 1700s

Italian explorer John Cabot sailed from Bristol to Newfoundland on the Matthew in 1497 and is thought to have lived on St Nicholas Street. His statue can be seen outside Arnolfini

The Floating Harbour was officially opened on 1 May 1809

The original AngloSaxon settlement of Brigstowe grew up between the Rivers Avon and Frome

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The River Frome was diverted in the 13th century to make way for extra quayside space

Look out for the Summer issue of Shipshape – available from 1 June throughout the Harbourside twenty two

Shipshape

Restaurant, Spa, Poolside bar.

lido

Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2BJ Reception: 0117 933 9530 Restaurant: 0117 933 9533 www.lidobristol.com