Shipshape 21 - Spring 2015 by Dan Pudsey

shipshape @shipshapemag

a guide to bristol in SPRING

arts / events / history / city map / dining / shopping / people pp01_Cover.indd 1

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sun ra arkestra perform at Colston hall. pic by fabio lugero

spring

26 Shipshape 21 spring 2015 Published by thegroupofseven.co.uk Advertising enquiries: info@shipshapebristol.co.uk Past issues & galleries: shipshapebristol.co.uk @shipshapemag Cover illustration: Jon Trace 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. © The Group of Seven Ltd 2015 Archive images Shipshape regularly features photographs from Bristol Record Office, which is based at B Bond Warehouse on the Floating Harbour. For more information, visit www.bristol.gov.uk/recordoffice

14 You'll know that Bristol began its tenure as European Green Capital this year. What you might not know, however, is that Bristol is the first city in the UK to be given the honour. Which got us thinking… what else happened first in Bristol? From the first female traffic wardens to the first city farms, we take a look at the pioneering efforts of our forefathers (page 26). Elsewhere, we introduce you to our new BFFs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (page 4), go shopping with the Bristol Pound (page 36) and pick up some spring reading recommendations from the wonderful Arnolfini bookshop (page 46). And if that wasn't enough, we also highlight some of the hottest tickets from spring's cultural calendar (page 6). 04 The social media map The people you should be following, retweeting, liking and sharing 06 Tickets The best music, comedy, theatre and art events to attend this spring

26 Bristol firsts Looking at our city's pioneering efforts, from the first female traffic wardens to the first city farms… 36 Shopping with the Bristol Pound Grab your reusable bag and have a rootle around the shops of Southville

10 Details People, performers and points of view, including highlights from The Lantern at Colston Hall

38 Eating & drinking A guide to the best restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs around

24 City map Make your way around the city by foot, ferry, bike or open-top bus

46 Spring reads The folks at Arnolfini bookshop choose five of their favourite tomes

03 @shipshapemag

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Bristolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media universe From a pickle swap to bike porn, radical books and a secret supper club, we take a voyage to discover the brightest lights in our social media universe

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tickets tickets Arts, culture and family trips around the city

arnolfini

At-bristol

bristol ferry boats

Emma Smith: 5Hz (pictured) 19 Mar16 Apr / Artist Smith teams up with a psychologist, cognitive neuroscientist and musicologist to develop an alternative language. Includes vocal soundscape, live performances, a ‘language school’ installation and a live language laboratory. We Are Family: Emma Smith 04-06 Apr / Family-based activities around the ‘5Hz’ exhibition (see above). Christine Sun Kim 04 Apr-04 May / Sound artist embarks on a twoweek residency, culminating in a participatory installation work. Deaf from birth, Kim has established her own “voice” through experimentations in sound art. Bristol Artists Book Event (BABE) 11-12 Apr / Over 80 artist bookmakers, dealers and small presses from Bristol and around the world come together to show and sell their work. Find hundreds of examples of traditionally made, hand-produced artists’ books and new formats of artists’ publishing, including luxurious one-off editions to zines and small multiples.

Brilliant Brain Week 16-22 Mar / Make a model brain cell, follow a fictional patient’s brain surgery and more. Winter Kitchen to 25 Mar / Unravel the chemistry of warming winter feasts. Drop-in. Winter in the Greenhouse to 25 Mar / Find out ways to keep your green fingers busy during the colder months. Drop-in. Spring in the Greenhouse 26 Mar10 Jun / Check out what’s sprouting in At-Bristol’s greenhouse and get planting your own kitchen garden, investigating planting seeds and shoots. After Hours: Food 06 May / Play on the exhibits when the children aren’t around. 6.30-10pm, £7/£6. Toddler Takeover: Come Rain or Shine 15 May / Experiment with feathers in the wind machine, experience real clouds and make your own from wool in Cloud Lab. Mars Lab 06 May-08 Jul / Explore the red planet using remote-control rovers and real lab equipment.

Classic Gorge 28 Mar / 25 Apr / 25 May / Cruise down the Avon Gorge, under the Suspension Bridge and beyond. 2.5 hrs, with commentary. £12/£10 concs/£30 family. Grand Tour 01 Apr & 29 May / Head down the Gorge to Sea Mills and then back up the New Cut. 3.5 hrs. £16/£13 concs/£50 family. Various times – check website. Easter Bunny Boat 04 Apr / Join the Easter bunny for 45 minutes of entertainment. 1pm & 2pm from Arnolfini: £8 adult/£10 child. Sunday Riverside Roast 05 & 26 Apr / 10, 24 & 31 May / Cruise to lunch at Beese’s Tea Gardens. 11am-2pm, £21/£15 concs (incl. roast dinner). Gorge Wildlife 12 & 28 Apr / Local wildlife expert Ed Drewitt leads this spectacular cruise down the Avon Gorge. 3.5 hours with commentary. £17/£14 concs/£55 family. Up River Wildlife 14 Jun / Explore the wealth of wildlife on the Harbour and River Avon towards Hanham. 3-6pm. £15 adult/£12 child/£45 family. Private trips also offered

16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA 0117 917 2300

Anchor Rd, bs1 5db 0845 345 1235

Harbourside 0117 927 3416

arnolfini.org.uk

at-bristol.org.uk

bristolferry.com

Contemporary arts centre

Renowned, all-ages science exploratory

Scheduled ferry services and special interest trips

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tickets

City Sightseeing Bristol

colston hall

No. 1 Harbourside

Entertaining, informative opentop bus tours around our historic city. Local guides provide a unique tour with informed, personal and interactive commentary. The tour takes you around the Harbourside stopping at the ss Great Britain, then out under Clifton Suspension Bridge and on to the Downs. You can also enjoy a variety of shopping experiences from the elegant Clifton Village to eclectic Park Street and the bustling Bristol Shopping Quarter (which includes Cabot Circus).

Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival 06-08 Mar / The annual festival returns, this year with a New Orleans focus. Dr John headlines. Camerata Salzburg 13 Mar / Violinist Nicola Benedetti performs with the Austrian chamber orchestra. Sun Ra Arkestra 23 Mar / A broth of free jazz, doo-wop and stagecraft from the Afrofuturist jazzers. Mexrrissey: Mexico goes Morrissey 28 Apr / This brass and accordionled combo reinvent the iconic performer’s songs with a south-ofthe-border sound. Holly McNish 07 May / The spoken word artist talks love, politics, race, breasts and more. Milton Jones 08 & 09 May / The loud-shirted comic returns with his trademark one-line masterpieces. Foxygen 11 May / Stage antics guaranteed from this LA duo influenced by ‘60s psychedelia and avant-garde music. Nils Frahm (pictured) 21 May / Acclaimed composer/producer with roots in classical and electronic music.

Milonga 08 Mar / Tango Con Fuoco explore the passionate heritage of the tango, after Tango Note teachers present a taster session of basic tango steps. From 6pm. Swing Night 15 Mar / Featuring 1920s and 1950s classics from The Paper Moon Band, with dancing led by Sophie Sheldrake of Swing Dance Bristol. From 6pm. Salsa Night 22 Mar / Regular salsa nights featuring house bands and guests. From 6pm. Mamadou Cissokho (pictured) 25 May / Hailing from the famous Cassamanca region of Senegal, Mamadou’s roots lie in the Griot music traditions – a tradition that shows whether he’s singing, drumming or playing mesmerising music on the kora.

07425 788 123

Colston St, BS1 5AR 0844 887 1500

1 Canons Rd, BS1 5UH 0117 929 1100

citysightseeingbristol.co.uk

colstonhall.org

no1harbourside.co.uk

Premier live performance venue

Free live music venue

Informative open-top bus tours

Explorer Ticket £14/£12 concs/£7 child/£38 family/under 5s free. Bus/Boat Combo £20/£10 child/£55 family. All tickets are valid for two days and allow you to hop on/hop off at any one of 20 stops. Use your ticket for a huge array of discounts.

07 @shipshapemag

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tickets

st nicholas market

M Shed

st george’s bristol

The Exchange was originally built in 1741 and a market has been held on this site since 1831. Today, the streets are filled with independent traders, selling everything from vintage clothing to artisan cakes.

Historic Walk: M Shed to Victoria Park 11 Mar / 15 Apr / Discover how Bedminster evolved from a rural Somerset parish to a bustling industrial town. Start 10.30am. Build-a-Bot 14 Mar / Make buzzers buzz, lights shine and motors turn with Bristol Robotics Laboratory. 10.30am-4.30pm, £5/£3. Symposium: Buildings of Bristol 21 Mar / Day-long symposium exploring the origins of the town house. 10am-5pm, £15/£12 concs. Bookings: 0117 985 8109 Exhibition: Open for Business 22 Mar-21 Jun / Nine Magnum photographers document life in over 100 UK workplaces. Martin Parr features – his subjects include Cameron Balloons, BAE Systems and Aardman Animations. Pyronaut 28-29 Mar / 12-5pm, regular intervals, lasts 30 minutes. £6/£4. Bristol Harbour Railway 04-06 Apr / 12-5pm. £2 single/£3 return: u6s free. John King trips 11 & 12 Apr / 12-5pm, regular intervals, lasts 30 minutes. £6/£4.

An Evening with Ian McCulloch 04 Mar / Rare acoustic performance by the Echo & the Bunnymen frontman and indie icon. The Handsome Family (pictured) 13 Mar / Unique, poetic Americana from the US husband-and-wife duo. Duke Special 19 Mar / Theatrical, grandiloquent solo set from the Northern Irish singer-songwriter. Kimmie Rhodes & Awna Teixeira 27 Mar / Americana double-bill. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Mark Padmore 03 Apr / Acclaimed tenor Padmore and the OAE present an impassioned and deeply moving performance of J S Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Courtney Pine & Zoe Rahman 09 Apr / An unmissable night of great songs in an intimate duo setting. An Evening with Julian Lloyd Webber 11 May / The worldrenowned and recently retired cellist talks about his illustrious career. Aurora Orchestra: Jitterbug 20 May / Melodic and infectious music from the London ensemble.

Princes Wharf, Wapping Rd, BS1 4RN 0117 352 6600

Great George St, BS1 5RR 0845 402 4001

mshed.org

stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Local history and art exhibitions

World-class music, just off Park Street

pic: Chris Bahn

Historical independent trading hub

St Nicholas Market is open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm. Bristol Farmers’ Market every Wed, 9.30am-2.30pm, Corn St & Wine St. Award-winning weekly food market. Friday Food Market every Fri, 10am-4pm, Wine St. Delicious street food and local ingredients on offer from a wealth of regional suppliers. Nails Market every Fri and Sat, 10am5pm, Corn St. Independent traders sell original artwork, jewellery and more.

The Exchange, Corn St, BS1 1JQ 0117 922 4014 bristol.gov.uk/stnicks @stnicksmarket

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spike island

tobacco factory theatres

watershed

I Am Making Art 07 Mar / Fun, interactive drawing exercises and workshops for all. 12-4pm: free, no need to book. Baby Art Hour 13 Mar / Monthly, artist-led sessions in Spike Café, designed for under 5s and parents/ carers. 10-11am. Isabelle Cornaro to 29 Mar / Solo show from the artist who uses found objects and images imbued with emotional value or symbolic potential. Cally Spooner 18 Apr-21 Jun / Spooner mixes different performance genres – Broadway musical, TV commercial, film trailer – to consider how unmediated performance can sit within the extreme visibility of entertainment. Solo show. Spike Open Studios (pictured) 01-04 May / Hugely popular annual open weekend, with Spike’s 70+ residents opening their studios to the public – plus special guests, mini exhibitions, pop-up cafés and opportunities to make your own art.

Elizabeth 1: Virgin on the Ridiculous 08 Mar & 22 Mar / Bristol’s Living Spit return with more hilariously enacted Tudor history. Fat Man 17-28 Mar / In a wickedly funny version of the Greek myth, a grief-stricken Orpheus becomes a doughnut-obsessed comedian. Romeo and Juliet to 04 Apr / Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory kick off their 2015 season with Will’s great tragedy of doomed lovers. The School for Scandal 09 Apr-09 May / SATTF again, this time with Sheridan’s dazzling 18th-century comedy – full of cruel and fanciful gossip, youthful profligacy, marital discord and scheming. Jonny and the Baptists 12 Apr / The UK’s hottest musical comedians tackle the big issues through their acclaimed blend of songs, satire and silliness. Casting the Runes 26 Apr / More atmospheric readings of MR James ghost tales by Robert Lloyd Parry. Susan Calman (pictured) 27 May / Award-winning comedian, as heard on The News Quiz.

Sunday Brunches: Matt and Gerard Johnson throughout Mar / Musician Matt Johnson (The The) and filmmaking brother Gerard, collaborators on the new film Hyena (from 6 Mar), select five films that have inspired them in their connections of moving image and music. Films include Vertigo (8 Mar), Paris, Texas (15 Mar), Aguirre, the Wrath of God (22 Mar) and Midnight Cowboy (29 Mar). Bristol Women’s Literature Festival 14-15 Mar / Watershed explores women’s activism through film, as part of this annual festival. Sunday Brunches: Folk Noir throughout April / Selection of Sunday Brunch screenings to tie in with the Folk Noir them for this year’s FILMIC. Films include Badlands (pictured, 5 Apr), Mud (12 Apr), The Proposition (19 Apr) and The Wicker Man (26 Apr).

133 Cumberland Rd, BS1 6UX 0117 929 2266

Raleigh Rd, BS3 1TF 0117 902 0344

1 Canons Rd, bs1 5TX 0117 927 5100

spikeisland.org.uk

tobaccofactorytheatres.com

watershed.co.uk

Contemporary art and design, exhibitions and events

Nationally renowned theatres

World-renowned arts and new media centre

09 @shipshapemag

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details News and views from across the city

art Withdrawn From 17 April Bristol artist Luke Jerram (inset) – known thus far for his street pianos and last May’s giant water slide down Park Street – invites visitors to Leigh Woods outside Bristol to experience an unexpected encounter with a flotilla of abandoned fishing boats

PIC: bristol city council

The fleet – all pointing the same way as if turned by the tide – can be explored by the public, while at sundown the boats’ navigation lights will come on, blinking eerily throughout the night. Luke’s thought-provoking exhibition invites discussion about climate change, extreme weather, changing ocean temperatures, falling fish stocks and our impact on the marine environment. An accompanying programme including nightwalks, performances and concerts can be found on Luke’s website. The installation addresses the problem of over-fishing. How pressing is this problem? Many scientists and statisticians believe that there’s only around two per cent of the fish left in the ocean now, compared to 150 years ago – before the industrialisation of fishing. Most of the big fish – whales, dolphins, tuna, sharks – have all gone. It’s like visiting the Serengeti and only finding termites, mice and a few birds. Our oceans are ghost habitats

compared to what they once were. Gloomy. Is there hope on the horizon? In places such as Lyme Bay, Dorset, fishing has begun to be managed sustainably. Hopefully many more marine protected areas will be created around the UK, allowing the sea to recover – and a sustainable fishing industry to thrive. The European ban on discarding fish that have exceeded quotas is also a step in the right direction. How was the whole process of finding these boats and transporting them to Leigh Woods? So far, the logistics of sourcing and transporting the boats have been quite straightforward. Having transported other large-scale artworks around the UK, I have some understanding of what’s involved. Aeolus was a 10-tonne sculpture that we toured around the

UK – so moving a few fishing boats is no problem! What sorts of thoughts, feelings and impressions do you hope to sow in visitors’ minds? I try to make artwork that can be appreciated by different audiences in different ways. So a small child might appreciate the installation in one way, while a curator, lawyer, fisherman or scientist might have a very different take. For me, a good artwork will make the viewer ask questions. But I also know from experience that those good artworks will have unexpected outcomes. For example, several couples have got married after meeting at my street pianos. That project also helped to change the music licensing UK laws. It will be interesting to see if Withdrawn has any unexpected positive consequences. more lukejerram.com/projects/withdrawn

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film/music Filmic This spring sees a return for Filmic, St George’s Bristol and Watershed’s annual strand exploring the many connections between film and music

Here Phil Johnson, St George’s Senior Programme Producer and the strand’s music programmer, discusses Filmic’s ethos and some 2015 highlights. Filmic is at least partly about a friendship between myself and Mark Cosgrove at Watershed. Mark’s a film person mad about music, and I’m a music person mad about films. We felt that there was an increasing amount of common ground between the art forms, that we ought to be covering in some way. For our first year (2012) we approached composer Michel Legrand (The Thomas Crown Affair), who happened to be planning an 80th birthday tour. He arrived from Paris in a terrible mood but relaxed at his Watershed talk, where he was shown so much love – then nearly collapsed on the way back to the hotel. As soon

as he saw the great grand piano at St George’s he recovered and spent the next four hours rehearsing before giving a mind-blowing concert.

on the new film Hyena [opening at Watershed on 6 March]. They have selected five Sunday Brunch films which have inspired them.

The next year we got Philip Glass, who was on our dream wish list. Out of this booking came a great relationship with his management that led to last year’s Glassfest at St George’s, Watershed and Colston Hall.

This year’s folk noir theme arises from a desire to deviate from our usual classical crossover programme. Plus the brilliant Handsome Family are touring! I also wanted the Furrow Collective, who specialise in dark, miserable old ballads. I then invited Howe Gelb and he suggested playing himself in the first half, followed by a new film about his band, Giant Sand.

We like to mix world-renowned figures with locally connected artists. So, for example, we’ve had shows by Bristol’s Greatness of the Magnificence choir and by jazz pianist John Law for a Fellini/Nino Rota and Morricone night. 2015’s guests include musician Matt Johnson (The The) and his film-making brother Gerard [both pictured], who have collaborated

We’d love to do bigger things in the future, like A Clockwork Orange with live backing from Will Gregory’s Moog Ensemble. Watch this space… more stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

watershed.co.uk

Bristol Folk Festival returns to near-neighbours St George’s Bristol and the Folk House from Saturday 2 to Sunday 3 May. This year’s highlights include sets from Bristol’s Steve Tilston, Three Cane Whale, Beth Porter and The Gasworks Choir – plus a headline slot from folk supergroup The Full English, featuring singersongwriter and patron Seth Lakeman (left). more stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

PIC: sarah bowrey

bristol folk festival

12 @shipshapemag

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health The Happiness Project This spring is your last chance to try out this beguiling mix of workshops, created three years ago by Bristol artists Lucy Barfoot and Lucy Duggan (pictured) in a vacant shop unit in Broadmead

Designed to cement the bond between creativity and mental health, the workshops include Gratitude (bookbind a ‘three good things’ journal and decorate it using drawing inks and wooden letterpress), Humour and Playfulness (dismantle and reconstruct toys to make hybrid characters) and Goals (make a collage that symbolically depicts your goals and aspirations). What did you set out to achieve with these workshops – and have you achieved it? We set out to provide a free service that we felt was much needed. When people hear the words ‘mental health’ the first thing that usually springs to mind is mental illness. Isn’t that strange? There is so much stigma around mental health in our society that its positive value is lost – as is the focus on how to stay strong and well. Everyone knows about the behaviours that promote physical health – five-a-day, exercise, quitting smoking, etc – but what about those for sound mental health?

Has Bristol felt like a good, receptive place to host the project? There’s probably no better place to host a project like this. Bristol is such a creative, culturally fertile place where connections to others are easily made. When someone decides to take steps to invest in their wellbeing, in Bristol they are spoilt for choice in terms of how they approach it. We’ve found it an ideal base for a creative and happy life. What next for you both? Next up for us is Barfoot + Duggan, a design company bringing the light, bright and playful into people’s homes. It’s about making stuff in England and having fun. We are big believers in bringing manufacture back to the UK, and we want to help make that happen. more wearelightbox.co.uk

PIC: sarah bowrey

What have been the highlights of the past three years? Getting the letter from the Big Lottery saying that they’d fund a full three-year Happiness Project was a big one. So much work had led up to that moment, and that big decision in an A4 envelope felt pretty momentous at the time. A constant, pleasant surprise has been seeing how simple changes can make big differences to people’s happiness and ability to deal with life’s losses and dramas. When we get letters and emails from people saying how much their lives have changed because of taking part, our delight is often accompanied by a mild sense of disbelief.

13 @shipshapemag

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families

illustration: philipPa Bungard

Brilliant theatre for preschoolers, outdoor trails for the adventurous, planetarium shows for stargazers and more Exhibits Speak easy Head to Arnolfini over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend (4-6 Apr) to explore the centre’s current exhibition 5Hz (see also page 18) via some exciting and engaging family activities. Emma Smith’s artwork explores how we use and respond to the human voice, and how voices can bring us together. The weekend activities and games will see you inventing new languages and ways to communicate with each other. Most suitable for ages 5+, but communicators of all ages are welcome to have a go.

Ferries Spring sail All aboard Bristol Ferries’ Easter Bunny Boat on Saturday 4 April, for 45 minutes of festive entertainment. There will be chocolate for the children, a quiz and Easter songs for all. And, if you keep your eyes peeled and noses out of the chocs for long enough, you may get to spot some baby ducks (inset). 1pm and 2pm, sailing from Arnolfini. Kids £10 (including chocolate eggs, natch), adults £8.

more arnolfini.org.uk

Theatre Count on Craig Immerse your little ones in the joy of numbers with Two, Four, Six, Eight (30 Mar-2 Apr, Brewery Theatre), the delightful show for ages 4-7 by Bristol’s Shoofly Theatre. Craig has been invited to his best friend’s birthday party. There is an invitation to read, presents to wrap and cakes to buy. Shoofly are designer Katie Sykes and performer Craig Edwards, who have worked together on previous early-years hits including How Cold My Toes, Aesop’s Fables and The Ugly Duckling.

Planets Third dimension Congrats to At-Bristol, whose Planetarium is currently undergoing a refurbishment to become the UK’s only 3D attraction of its kind. Reopening on 24 April, the brand new presenter-led Planetarium will feature shows including Seasonal Stargazing (in a choice of 2D or 3D) and a 2D Space Explorers show for under 6s. The new Summer Stargazing (£2/£3, ages 6+) will feature star-spotting tips and tricks, plus trips to distant stars and planets.

more bristolferry.com

Theatre Sea change Very young audiences should make a beeline for Long Nosed Puppets’ show Arthur’s Dream Boat (main pic) at Circomedia, Bristol on Tuesday 8 April. Arthur has an amazing dream about a beautiful pink and green boat with a stripy mast. He can’t wait to tell everyone about it – but no one is interested. In fact, they don’t even notice that the boat is growing on his head. Soon, Arthur is bouncing along the waves in his very own dream boat. Featuring beautiful puppets and a score by Tom Gray of the Mercury Award-winning band Gomez. Ages 2+: shows at 11am and 2pm. more circomedia.com

Outdoors Trails of the unexpected Take one of the popular guided discovery trails at the National Trust’s Dyrham Park and discover the wild side of the parkland, via everything from pond-dipping to bug-hunting. A brand new family trail will guide you to the new natural play zone in the wood pasture, ending up at the expanded Old Lodge.

more tobaccofactorytheatres.com more nationaltrust.org.uk/

more at-bristol.org.uk

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exhibit

DRAWN at rwa

Self-portrait: © TATE

Hogarth: Painter and Printmaker For the next few months, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery gives the floor to one of the most important, distinctive and visually eloquent figures in British art

Tate Britain will be lending almost its entire collection of oil paintings by the 18-century painter, printmaker, satirist and cartoonist William Hogarth to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, for the most comprehensive show of the artist’s work ever in the South West. More than any other artist, Hogarth (self-portrait, pictured) brilliantly satirised the decadence, indulgence and corruption of 18-century London life. The show, called William Hogarth: Painter and Printmaker (16 May-31 Aug),

will introduce the diverse range of subjects tackled by this iconic painter and printmaker. Hogarth’s well-known satirical prints from the Museum’s permanent collection will also be on show. The exhibition will also feature tours to visit Hogarth’s altarpiece in St Nicholas Church (on St Nicholas Street, in the centre of town). Commissioned in 1756 by St Mary Redcliffe, the staggering painting measures over eight metres high and is well worth a look.

This month the Royal West of England Academy welcomes back one of its most popular regular fixtures. The annual open-submissions show Drawn (21 Mar-7 Jun) aims to raise the profile of drawing as both an autonomous discipline and an interdisciplinary tool. “As a means of communication and navigation, drawing has taken on a universality unlike any other medium,” says RWA’s Exhibitions Curator Gemma Brace. “It is a building block of creativity, key to the visualisation of ideas and practices, fundamental in making, testing, designing, thinking, playing and living. “Drawn celebrates this diversity, encouraging artists to explore the gallery using both wall and floor space, via both traditional and experimental techniques and technologies.” Expect to see work from a broad church of artists, from illustrators, videographers and sculptors to printers, embroiderers, and architects. more rwa.org.uk

more bristolmuseums.org.uk

b u n t y a t T R INITY To celebrate the launch of new album Multimos, vocal-looping wizardess Bunty has created a brand new ensemble and dazzling audiovisual live show. The singer, who mixes lo-fi soul, rap, beatbox and harmony, will bring the new show to Bristol’s Trinity on Friday 10 April – complete with homemade light show, special effects and a lot of helium. “Somewhere between rave, theatre, workshop and game ... but primarily an awesome pop gig,” as one reviewer had it. more 3ca.org.uk 15 @shipshapemag

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music

cube microplex

Matthew Aitken, lead programmer at The Lantern, Colston Hall’s bijou but brilliant performance space, picks out four highlights from the coming season Sun Ra Arkestra (Mon 21 Mar) Expect unconventional spiritual jazz fused with electronics and swing from these colourfully attired space jazzers (they’re the only jazz orchestra to take their own tailor on tour). Continuing the legacy of their founder – the late Sun Ra, who believed he was from Saturn – the Arkestra is now fronted by alto saxophonist Marshall Allen. Needless to say, not your everyday jazz gig.

Another chance to catch this emotive singer-songwriter, who played The Lantern last year. Clementine left London aged 20 and headed to Paris, where he became homeless and started busking outside the Metro. To fully appreciate the power of Clementine’s songwriting and vocal talents, he’s best experienced live – and The Lantern is the perfect venue for him.

Steve Gunn (Mon 25 May) Foxygen (Mon 11 May) A former guitarist with Kurt Vile’s Foxygen’s Lantern appearance band The Violators, over his follows the release of their 24-track 15-year career Gunn’s produced album …And Star Power and a stacks of solo, duo and ensemble much talked-about appearance on recordings. His latest album, Way the Letterman show – well worth a Out Weather, is definitely one look on YouTube. Expect a journey of his best, with a spaced-out through punk and spacey soft rock Americana feel. To support are two – plus some energetic stage antics of Gunn’s collaborators, harpist from lead singer Sam France. Mary Lattimore and guitarist/synth player Jeff Zeigler. Benjamin Clementine more colstonhall.org/the-lantern (Sun 24 May)

One of spring’s highlights at Bristol’s Cube Microplex is an intriguing storytelling show about memory and the slippage ‘twixt past and present. Stand By For Tape Back-Up (3 Apr, pictured) is poet Ross Sutherland’s account of the rediscovery of his grandfather through VHS technology. Ross learned how to manipulate the tape’s images into telling the story of his life – thus opening a dialogue with his late grandfather. “An exploration of meaning and memory by an artist at the top of his game,” enthused Total Theatre Magazine while The Stage called it: “Consuming, compelling, hypnotic.” more cubecinema.com

wardrobe theatre Make a space in your diary one Tuesday soon for Closer Each Day, the fortnightly improvised soap opera performed at the bijou Wardrobe Theatre above Kingsdown’s excellent White Bear pub. Not only is it great fun, it’s created on the spot by an array of Bristol performers – impressive, huh? Catch up with events at closereachdaysoap. blogspot.com... more thewardrobetheatre.com

spike open studios Spike’s popular Open Studios return on 1-4 May, inviting visitors behind the scenes of this former tea-packing factory. The 70+ resident artists will throw open their studio doors for visitors to explore, while around the rest of the building you’ll find performances, mini exhibits, film screenings } and more... more spikeisland.org.uk/open2015 16 shipshapebristol.co.uk

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exhibition

churchill season

5Hz Arnolfini joins forces with artist Emma Smith to present this interactive exhibition (20 Mar-6 Apr) that invites audiences to experience a new human language, no less Smith, who works with sound, performance and text, often collaborates with the public to develop her ideas and to create participatory experiences with a social focus. For this show, she has joined forces with psychologist Laurence White, cognitive neuroscientist Nina Kazanina and musicologist Emma Hornby to imagine what we might sound like if our human languages had evolved to prioritise social bonding – instead of communicating instructions. Using interactive events and installations, the exhibition will introduce audiences to a totally new language that has been developed with the specific aim of strengthening human connection. Visitors will be able to experience the new language, hear how it evolved, learn the lingo and, of course, try it out themselves in a sound chamber

installation. The exhibition will also feature an interactive library and research space, fun online experiments and live choral performances. A programme of accompanying events (20-22 Mar and 26-29 Mar: free) will include language lessons with the artist, live choral performances, talks by eminent scientists and academics, reading groups and discussions. The exhibition has been developed from a series of language evolution workshops and public research labs that took place at Arnolfini last year (pictured), and which involved members of public. These sessions included electroencephalography (EEG) experiments, where the brain’s electrical activity is recorded. more

arnolfini.org.uk

This year is the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death and, to mark the occasion, the University of Bristol (where the great man was Chancellor for some 36 years, including his heroic spell as wartime Prime Minister) is commemorating his life, work and achievements. Through a series of lectures and exhibitions exploring Churchill’s life and legacy, the University’s Churchill season (4 Mar-29 Apr) will present new research and unique insights into his time as Chancellor. Evening talks (6-7.30pm) include Churchill: For and Against (Wed 4 Mar) and Memories of my Grandfather by Celia Sandys, Churchill’s granddaughter, on Tuesday 21 April. more bristol.ac.uk/pace/publicevents/churchill-2015.html

nostalgia: the retrospective Head to The Island, the police/fire station-turned-arts-complex in the centre of town, this spring to see an exhibition devoted to nostalgia – that sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past. In Nostalgia: The Retrospective (10-12 Mar), the Bristol University Art Society examines themes of memory, reflection and escapism, featuring photography, art, sculpture and film by talented students and invited artists across the three days. more

theislandbristol.com

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shop Markets From painting in pubs to alfresco eats, Bristol boasts a stall to cover it all. Grab your wicker basket and make a beeline for one of these regular markets

The GrEAT market takes place on the second Sunday of each month, 1-6pm, at the Greenbank pub, Easton. Find prints, paintings, photography and more by local artists and creatives. The Harbourside Market (pictured) takes place every Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm. Local produce and creativity is at the fore with books, music, art, food, children’s toys and more. Look out for live music from local musicians too. Retroville takes place at the Tobacco Factory every first Sunday of the month, 10am-2.30pm, in conjunction with the regular market (see no. 7). A range of vintage and

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retro clothing, records, furniture and more on offer. St Nicholas Market is open Monday-Saturday, 9.30am-5pm, with independent traders selling everything from sandwiches to second-hand clothes. The bustling Farmers’ Market joins the fray every Wednesday (9.30am-2.30pm, Corn St & Wine St). The Food Market (10am4pm, Wine St) rolls in every Friday, serving up a delicious platter of street food and local ingredients. The Nails Market takes place at every Friday and Saturday (10am-5pm, Corn St) selling artwork, jewellery and more. Sunday Brunch Market runs alongside the Harbourside Market (see no. 2) every week with street food stalls selling Vietnamese banh mi and Indian spiced breakfasts. Live music, face painting and performance too. Temple Quay Market runs every Thursday, 11.30am-2.30pm. Hot and speciality foods available on the first, third and fifth Thursday and the BEATS street food market takes place every second and fourth. Tobacco Factory Market takes place every Sunday, 10am-2.30pm, with 40 food and craft stalls selling ethical, eco-friendly, fair trade, organic and local produce. Live music too.

pic: Lilja Jónsdóttir

more bristol.gov.uk/stnicks, facebook. com/greenbankeastonartisttraders, theharboursidemarket.co.uk, facebook.com/tobaccofactorymarket, @TempleQMarket

smoke and mirrors Don’t miss the new Bunch of Japes stand-up comedy programme at Smoke and Mirrors, the boutique pub and magic theatre in the centre of town. Programmed by Mark Olver, the weekly sessions feature some impressive line-ups, including Nathan Caton (16 Mar), Stuart Goldsmith (23 Mar, pictured), Danielle Ward (30 Mar) and rising telly face Rob Beckett (27 Apr). more 3mokeandmirrorsbar.co.uk 19 @shipshapemag

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V I TA L S TAT I S T I C S

The perfect brew

We share a cup of joe with coffee connoisseur Matt Atkins from Clifton’s Brew Coffee Company and discover exactly how many caffeinated cups he can put away in one day It takes four key ingredients to make their signature cup:

coffee, water, milk and a barista

There are up to 64 variations of espressobased drinks available – you can even choose your own bean and milk

150

Brew’s team of baristas makes about 150 cups of coffee

every day

Coffee was known as

arabian wine

brew blend Their ‘brew blend’ is made up of Brazilian Fazenda Pantano and Ethiopian Hunda Oli

They use up to 20 kilograms of coffee per week

94º

the ideal temperature the water needs to be to make the perfect cup of joe

Owner Matt Atkins starts about 10 cups of coffee

every day… but never finishes a single one

when it was first introduced in Europe

A cup of black coffee contains just a couple of calories… bottoms up!

Add milk and two sugars to your brew and you’re looking at 85 calories a cup

home grown Coffee plants have been successfully grown at the Eden Project in Cornwall

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The world drinks around 400 billion cups of coffee every year

gloucester road has the second highest concentration of coffee shops in the UK

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details

bicycles

PIC: ivan coleman

Bespoked As part of Bristol’s year as European Green Capital, Bespoked 2015 returns to its Bristol roots this spring (17-19 Apr) with a show bursting at the seams with handmade, independent bicycle excellence The Green Capital award recognises Bristol’s environmental performance and ambitious goals for sustainable development, including the highest cycling rates of any major UK city at three and a half times the national average. Brunel’s Old Station will host over 90 bicycle frame-builders from across the world, displaying an international line-up of the world’s most well-designed and meticulously crafted bicycles.

From mountain to folding bikes, racers to shoppers, crafted in steel, carbon, titanium, wood and bamboo, the show will feature conveyances to suit all tastes and budgets. And, if you can’t see what you want, chances are you’ll be able to get it made for you. A short stroll (or, indeed, ride) away, Arnolfini will host the Bespoked Constructor’s Challenge. Five teams of builders, designers and end users have been chosen to exhibit a custom-built

bicycle created for a specific and real task. From a pedal-powered and truly mobile coffee trike to a painter’s cargo bike, you’ll find inspiration aplenty for your own two-wheeled projects. Arnolfini will also be the venue for the festival’s own Handmade Goods and Design Show, a showcase for cycling’s most beautiful and desirable accessories, design and apparel. more

bespoked.cc

PIC: danny macaskill, the ridge

from banff to bristol The annual Banff Mountain Film Festival makes its sixth annual UK tour this spring, visiting Bristol’s Victoria Rooms from 16-18 April. The annual festival draws some of the world’s best film-makers and outdoor heroes to celebrate adventure, the environment, mountain culture and the outdoors through film. more banff-uk.com

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festival Mayfest Bristol’s brilliant annual smorgasbord of adventurous, playful theatre and performance returns this spring (14-24 May). Mayfest’s joint Artistic Director Matthew Austin (below, left) marks your card with five must-see shows from Mayfest 15 Hofesh Shechter Company: Political Mother This is a real coup for Bristol. Hofesh Shechter is one of the hottest choreographers around, and this is the first time his company will perform in the city. If you think you don’t like contemporary dance, this show will change your mind. Loud, angry, visceral and emotionally beautiful, Political Mother, said The Guardian, “dares us to rethink the history of the world”.

by Sam Halmarack and Luke Harney (Typesun). Performed at dusk on the top of a multistorey car park. Delicious, exhilarating and something quite out of the ordinary. Why would you not be there?

bluemouth inc: Dance Marathon A worldwide smash hit, Dance Marathon (main pic) takes its inspiration from a physically gruelling spectator sport of Depression-era America, and asks the audience to join this interactive Zuppa Theatre: Pop Up Love Party four-hour marathon in which the only The UK premiere of Canadian theatre rule is to keep moving your feet. The company Zuppa Theatre’s delicious show features live music and DJs reimagining of Plato’s symposium and is tremendous fun – guaranteed on love. Staged in a restaurant with to bring out your competitive streak. a menu designed by MichelinBring dancing shoes. starred chef Daniel Burns, Pop Up Chris Thorpe: Confirmation Love Party is a luscious, exuberant We saw Confirmation in Edinburgh contemporary celebration of love, last year, where it was the talking romance and desire. And the food is point of the festival. Deeply, pretty special too. profoundly political, difficult and Still House: Of Riders and completely brilliant, it’s an 80-minute Running Horses blast to the senses about how we This is the new show from Still look to confirm our own beliefs. House, the Bristol-based company Chris Thorpe chose to challenge his led by choreographer and theatreown open-mindedness by opening a maker Dan Canham. This new piece dialogue with a white supremacist. is an exciting departure: an outdoor Blistering, challenging stuff. ensemble dance piece for six dancers with live music composed and played more mayfestbristol.co.uk 22 @shipshapemag

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theatre Virgin on the Ridiculous After their triumphant Six Wives of Henry VIII, Bristol’s Living Spit – aka prolific actors Howard Coggins and Stuart McLoughlin – continue their hilarious Tudor trajectory with this comic rush through the life of one of our greatest monarchs

PIC: Graham Burke and Coe Creative

Elizabeth I: Virgin on the Ridiculous (Tobacco Factory Theatres, 8 and 22 Mar) promises another poorly researched yet unforgettable lesson in Tudor history. Here Howard and Stu shed the breeches to tell Shipshape about their second Tudor triumph… Have you had as much fun creating this show as you did with Six Wives…? Elizabeth’s story is much more complex than Henry’s, as her life and reign were governed by politics much more than by emotional relationships. So the writing process was very different to Six Wives…. But once it was written and we got into the rehearsal room, we messed about with it and had loads of fun.

I think we probably laughed more during this rehearsal process than we did with Henry! How important is it to you to get across a modicum of history in these shows... or is it all about dressing up and having a laugh? We research the history in quite a loose way before we start writing. That’s our story, so it’s important to get the historical events in to give us something to hang all our stupid ideas on. The history is all in there. But mostly it’s just an excuse to dress up and have fun. So, Stu plays the great monarch… who do you play, Howard? Drake, Raleigh, Essex [shuffles through GCSE history notes]?

I play all of those and more. I could tell you everything but then you probably wouldn’t need to come and see the show. And I’d like you to, for both personal and financial reasons. And which major themes and episodes from her reign do you cover? The suitors? The Spanish Armada? The assassination plots? All of those. It’s the story of her life, but we obviously couldn’t fit everything in, so we put all the main bits in and left the dull bits out. Last question: Elizabeth’s reign is important because... ...it allows us to dress up and make idiots of ourselves for financial gain. more

tobaccofactorytheatres.com

t h e o t h e r a r t fa i r Bristol gets to add a second art fair to its bow this spring when The Other Art Fair expands for the first time from its London base, colonising Arnolfini from 5-7 June. The fair focuses on discovering and tapping into new and previously unknown artists, and encouraging artists and buyers to engage directly with each other. Artworks start at just £50. Guest artists, workshops, immersive theatre, live music and performance art will all be on the menu at the first Bristol instalment, while artists in residence will include Bristol-raised graffer Sickboy. more bristol.theotherartfair.com 23 @shipshapemag

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whiteladies ro

Hop on a bus, ferry or bike – or use your own two feet – for a different view of the city

Explore Bristol Lido Restaurant, Spa & Pool, p43 •

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• RWA

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clifton village

• St George’s Bristol, p8

• Clifton Suspension Bridge

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• Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

• Cabot Tower

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hotwell

road Cross-harbour ferry •

hotwells

• Grain Barge, p41

• Brunel’s ss Great Britain

spike island • Nova Scotia

Illustration: Dawn Cooper

ashton court park

• Spike Island, p9

• Create Centre & Bristol Record Office

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400m

southville

• Tobacco Factory, p9, p45

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cycle the city

Ferries

Sightseeing

Cycle the City aims to get you saddled up and ready to see the sights around Bristol on two wheels. Choose from a range of beautiful, traditional steeds, with wicker baskets, ding-dong bells and comfy upright riding positions. Cycle the city offers bicycle hire, harbour tours, vintage picnics and an excellent Ale Trail (recently featured in The Guardian – see more on page 39). Tours and trips start at No.1 Harbourside and booking is essential. Visit the website for times, tariffs and further details.

Bristol Ferry Boats operate regular ferry services around the Harbourside, as well as public trips and excursions. The ferry stops are illustrated on the map or visit the operators’ websites for timetable information. A cross-harbour ferry also operates from Brunel’s ss Great Britain to the Harbourside (Hotwells).

City Sightseeing Bristol runs open-top bus tours around the city with interactive commentary. The tour takes you around the Harbourside stopping at the ss Great Britain, then out under Clifton Suspension Bridge and on to the Downs. You can also visit the shopping districts of Clifton Village, Park Street, Bristol Shopping Quarter and St Nicholas Market.

more cyclethecity.org,

bristolferry.com or turn to page 6 citysightseeingbristol.co.uk or turn to page 7

@_cyclethecity,

don’t miss Taste Chocolate

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07973 387167

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Taste Chocolate will take over the Harbourside’s Brunel Square and Great Eastern Hall for a free event on 4-5 April (10am-4.30pm), featuring 40 stalls, chocolate demonstrations, a Prosecco bar, live music, children’s activities, competitions and more. Sample the finest local chocolates, discover Bristol’s rich chocolate history and watch talented producers and chefs in the Cookery Theatre. There’s also beautifully crafted chocolates, cakes, fudge, churros, wine, beer, liqueurs, hot chocolate and, of course, Easter eggs.

bristol shopping quarter

• Museum t Gallery

r pa Colston Hall, p7, p41 • St Nicholas Market, p8, p44 •

et Aquila, p40 •

• Tourist Information • Watershed, p9, p45 • At-Bristol, p6

• Glassboat, p41

• Bristol Old Vic

No.1 Harbourside, p7, p43 •

tastechocolate.co.uk /@TasteChocUK

castle park

templ e way

• T hree Brothers Burgers, p44

QUEEn SQUAre

redcliffe

•

The Barley Mow, p40

temple quay

• Shakespeare Tavern, p44 • Myristica, p43

Arnolfini, p6, p40 •

redcl iffe w ay

• Bristol Temple Meads • St Mary Redcliffe

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• M Shed, p8

fe h ill

• St George’s Bristol, p8

• Zerodegrees, p45

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Key Ferry Boat stops

City Sightseeing pick up points

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feature

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First riots

Bristol always riots first. The 1831 Queen Square riots were the biggest at the time of discontent over Parliamentary reform. The 1980 St Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disturbances were a full year before several inner-city riots across the country. The riots on Stokes Croft in April 2011 over the branch of Tesco were the first of a wider spate of disturbances across the country that summer.

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br1stol This year, Bristol is the first UK city to be European Green Capital. To mark the occasion, Eugene Byrne looks at some of the other firsts, both momentous and trivial, that our city has scored down the years

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feature: bristol firsts

First to forgive the Germans

An official party of five Bristolians visited Hannover in Germany two years after the end of the Second World War on a goodwill mission. This led to Bristol being the first British city to twin with any German post-war, and the link has been going strong ever since.

First parking meters

Just to show that Bristol’s ongoing issues over parking (what with Mayor Ferguson’s residents’ parking zones) are nothing new, in 1961 Bristol became the first place outside London to acquire parking meters. They were being phased out in favour of pay-and-display machines by the mid-1990s, and the old machines were sold off by the council at £15 a time. One buyer told the Evening Post that his wife wanted one to put in their bedroom – as an ornament, that is.

First women traffic wardens

It was 1967, the summer of love, and Bristol became the first place in the UK outside London to get female traffic wardens – or ‘meter maids’, as they were nicknamed.

First city farm

Windmill Hill City Farm, established on a patch of derelict land in 1976, was the first city farm outside London. Some £2,000 of the money to set it up came from John James, a local businessman turned philanthropist, whose childhood home had been on the site. In return for the grant, the farm paid him an annual tribute of a single cabbage. The farm is still thriving.

First modern phone system

On 5 December 1958 Bristol became the first place in the UK to get STD telephone dialling. Some 18,000 telephone subscribers in the central areas of the city could now phone direct to about half the places in Britain without having to call the operator to ask to be connected. The Queen came to Bristol to launch it at the telephone exchange at Telephone Avenue. Her Majesty called the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Mr IA Johnson-Gilbert, who thanked her for honouring Scotland with the first call on the newfangled system. The call cost one shilling and tenpence (9p).

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First woman newsreader

Armine Sandford trained as an actress, but in 1957 got the job of reading the news on the BBC’s local bulletin, thus becoming Britain’s first female newsreader. First women jurors

Britain’s first female jurors were sworn in at the Bristol Quarter Sessions on 28 July 1920. Women had not been liable for jury service until then. First female-to-male sex change

Laurence Dillon (1915-1962), born Laura Dillon, was the world’s first full female-to-male transsexual. Born in London, Laura lived and worked in Bristol for several years doing jobs varying from laboratory scientist dissecting brains to petrol pump attendant. After studying at Merchant Venturers College, Bristol, she went to medical school in Dublin after a double mastectomy and testosterone injections. Later the surgeon Sir Harold Gilles constructed a penis for him in Basingstoke. Dillon ended his life as a Buddhist monk in Tibet. The world's first shot tower was created by Williams Watts, an 18th-century plumber (see #15)

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The world’s first modern ship

The ss Great Britain was a commercial disaster, the more so because Brunel kept changing the design to incorporate an iron hull and a screw propeller. But it would be the forerunner of every modern ocean-going ship.

The world’s first sequel

In 1709 the Bristolian Captain Woodes Rogers, on a privateering voyage around the world, rescued Alexander Selkirk. Selkirk had been marooned on a Pacific island for four years, surviving on crawfish, cabbage, turnips, pimentoes and goats. An awful lot of goats. Who also provided his clothing. Selkirk later joined Rogers for a while in his home in Queen Square, where he would parade around in his goatskins to cadge beer money off passers-by. Daniel Defoe made his adventures famous in 1719 with the publication of Robinson Crusoe. It was such a success that Defoe later hacked out The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe because he needed the cash. It was the world’s first sequel.

The world’s first holiday caravan

The world’s first touring caravan was built by the Bristol Carriage Company in the 1880s at a cost of £300. Obviously there had been caravans before that, but this was the first one built for leisure purposes. ‘The Wanderer’ was commissioned by Scottish doctor, naval officer and author of boys’ adventure stories William Gordon-Stables. He took the Wanderer on an epic journey to Scotland and started a craze for caravan holidays among the upper classes when he wrote his tour up in a book called The Cruise of the Land-Yacht Wanderer. GordonStables was accompanied by his faithful valet and cook, Foley, who had to scout ahead of his master on a tricycle to make sure that roads and bridges ahead could take the weight of the Wanderer. He didn’t get to ride in the caravan.

Bristol became the first British city to twin with any German town post-war when we twinned with Hannover (above, see #2). Below: Fry's of Bristol invented the chocolate Easter egg (see #13)

The world’s first chocolate bars

In 1847 Fry’s of Bristol began manufacturing the world’s first chocolate bars in commercial quantities. Before this chocolate for eating (as opposed to drinking) had been sold in small pieces. The company, then based in Union Street, really hit the commercial big time when it started making Fry’s Chocolate Cream bars in 1866. The following decade the firm scored another first when it invented the chocolate Easter egg.

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The world’s first Methodist chapel

The brothers John and Charles Wesley started a new Protestant sect in the 18th century along with Kingswood preacher George Whitefield. Bristol became an early powerhouse for Methodism, which explicitly appealed to the working classes, and the world’s first Methodist chapel, the New Room in Broadmead, was built in 1739. There are now an estimated 80 million Methodists worldwide.

The world’s first shot tower

According to legend, 18th century Bristol plumber William Watts came home drunk one night and dreamed that his wife, who was a bit cross with him, was pouring molten lead on him through the holes in a rusty frying-pan. Whatever the case, Watts realised that if molten lead was poured from a height it would form into perfect spheres as it fell. Spherical shot from shotguns would fly through the air more accurately, meaning that English gentlemen now had a better chance of hitting something edible. Watts built the world’s first shot tower in Redcliffe, pouring molten lead from the top to fall into a pond of water to cool it at the bottom. His perfect little spheres made him a fortune, but he lost the lot property speculating in Clifton. The shot tower was demolished to make way for a road scheme in the 1960s. Sir John Harington (1560-1612), scholar, poet and courtier, was sent home in disgrace when Elizabeth I caught him circulating rude verse among her ladies-in-waiting. As he languished at his estates at Kelston near Bristol awaiting a return to royal favour, he invented the world’s first modern water closet. Her Majesty soon forgave him and was very impressed with his new invention when she, um, paid a visit… to his house, that is.

Fry's manufactured the world's first chocolate bars in 1847 (see #13) Below: In the 18th century, brothers John and Charles Wesley (the latter's statue pictured above) founded a new Protestant sect and set Bristol up as a powerhouse for Methodism (see #14).

The first blanket

This was invented by Thomas Blanket (or Blanquet or Blanquette), a wealthy Flemish cloth merchant who lived in Bristol in the 14th century. NB: some spoilsport historians claim this isn’t true and that his name is merely a coincidence.

(Some of) the first robots

American-born William Grey Walter (19101977) arrived in Bristol in 1939 to help set up the Burden Neurological Institute, a pioneering facility carrying out research into the brain and nervous system.

pic: BRIAN ROBERT MARSHALL

The world’s first proper toilet

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In 1709 Captain Woodes Rogers (below) rescued Alexander Selkirk from a Pacific island. The story inspired Daniel Dafoe's Robinson Crusoe (see #11)

Grey Walter’s research was responsible for major advances in our understanding of the brain. With his second wife Vivian, he built, in the late 1940s, some of the world’s first robots. They called them “tortoises” because of their shape, because they moved slowly and because they “taught us” some of the secrets of life and intelligence. Grey Walter is now recognised as a founding father of the science of cybernetics. Nowadays scientists from UWE and the University of Bristol jointly run the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.

The first test tube baby

Louise Brown, born at Oldham General Hospital in 1978, was the first child to have been born after conception by IVF. She was brought up in Bristol by her parents John and Lesley Brown who had failed to conceive after nine years of trying. Louise, now married with naturally conceived children of her own, still lives in Bristol.

The world’s first forensic scientist

Bristol chemist William Herapath (17961868) has a strong claim to be the world’s first forensic scientist. As a boy he’d been fascinated by the chemicals his father’s brewery used, and he was soon doing his own experiments. By the time he was a teenager he was regularly being consulted by local businessmen on chemical matters. In 1835 he proved that Mary Ann Burdock had poisoned Clara Smith by having the body exhumed and proving the presence of arsenic, the first time such a procedure was carried out.

World’s first DNA conviction

In 1987 Robert Melias was jailed for eight years for rape at Bristol Crown Court. It was the first case in the world to secure a conviction as a result of “genetic fingerprinting”. A detective involved in the case told reporters at the time: “This is the most important innovation in the fight against crime since the discovery of fingerprints.” Police forces around the world now routinely use DNA evidence, while Avon and Somerset officers have used DNA to convict more than a dozen people who thought they’d got away with crimes decades ago.

World’s first bungee jump

On April Fools’ Day 1979, four members of the Dangerous Sports Club, sometimes styled the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club, dressed in top hats and tails and made the first ever bungee jumps in history from the Clifton Suspension Bridge. After the

four men jumped from the bridge, it had to be closed to traffic and pedestrians for 20 minutes while the police hauled them up again. One of the jumpers later told reporters: “The police were very nice … they brought us leftover wine and said, `Well done boys, you really brightened our day’.” Naturally bungee jumping from the bridge is strictly prohibited.

Britain’s first women detectives

During the First World War, Bristol Constabulary became the first force in Britain, if not the world, to employ women detectives, though they were used for unglamorous work such as catching shopkeepers cheating customers and, in a famous local case during the war, a fraudulent clairvoyant. By the summer of 1917, the force was also one of the first in Britain (though not the very first) to enlist uniformed female officers to patrol the streets.

First women’s police training school

The First World War also saw Britain’s first training school for women police set up in Bristol, first on Queen’s Road, then on Berkeley Square. It instructed female police officers and women volunteers who patrolled Britain’s streets at night looking after the welfare of women and girls. Its director, Dorothy Peto (1886-1974), later became the first head of the Metropolitan Police Women’s Branch.

First Cycling City

In 2008 Bristol became Britain’s first official “cycling city”, with a budget of £23m, half of it from the government, the rest from Bristol and surrounding councils. Over half the money was spent on cycling infrastructure, though not all of it worked. Anyone remember the Hourbike cycle-hire scheme? No, me neither.

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The first woman doctor

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910), the world’s first qualified woman doctor was born in Bristol, though her family emigrated to America when she was a child. She trained in New York, and also campaigned against slavery in the US before returning to Britain to be the chair of gynaecology at the London School of Medicine for Women. The first woman doctor to practice in Bristol was Eliza Walker Dunbar (18451925). The daughter of a Bristol surgeon, she was barred from training in England, so went to study in Zurich, Switzerland. On her return to Bristol she was appointed a surgeon at Bristol’s children’s hospital, where all the other doctors – all men, of course – refused to work with her. She then set up a private practice in Clifton, and opened a specialist hospital for women and children.

First robot cars

Well maybe not quite, but Bristol is one of four UK communities carrying out tests on driverless cars. Bristol City Council is part of the public/ private VENTURER consortium, which will be trialling the cars this year and next.

Britain’s first poo bus

Last November the first bus in the UK to be powered by bio-methane – methane made from sewage and waste food – made its maiden journey from Bristol Airport to Bath. It was later one of the star attractions at the opening ceremony of Bristol Green Capital. The bus can carry 40 passengers and run for 180 miles on a tank of fuel, which is generated at the Bristol sewage treatment plant operated by GENeco, a subsidiary of Wessex Water. The wins here are that it reduces the city’s carbon output and the bus’s emissions are almost completely odourless. You might call it the ‘poo bus’, but its official moniker is the ‘bio bus’. GENeco claims that its Bristol sewage plant could produce enough methane to power 8,500 homes annually.

From top: Concorde, the world's first supersonic jet, was designed and built in Bristol (see #30); Elizabeth Blackwell (see #26); the ss Great Britain (see #10); Bristol was Britain's first official cycling city (see #25)

First Olympic medal on snow

Jenny Jones from Downend became the first Brit to win an Olympic medal on snow, taking bronze in the women’s slopestyle snowboarding at the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi. This comes of being brought up on the snow-covered peaks of Downend.

Too many aviation firsts to mention

Bristol has had an aviation industry since 1910, you know…

34 @shipshapemag

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27/02/2015 16:59

At-Bristol science centre presents...

A fantastic feast of fun This Easter enjoy our enticing exhibition. Hands-on activities include... chocolate tasting, golden egg making & much more!

Book tickets: at-bristol.org.uk/food

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02/03/2015 11:56

independents Our celebration of independents, in association with the Bristol Pound

meet the maker mark newman

We love... Southville

Harbourside

Southville

Locally brewed beers, delis, a theatre and independents coming out of its ears – let’s hear it for ‘Lower Clifton’ “Southville’s been the aspiring ‘Lower Clifton’ since the ’90s … [but] who needs hoity-toity Clifton?” asks The Guardian. “This place is far nicer (give or take Clifton’s drop-dead gorgeous houses) because it seems to have reached that blessed moment of equilibrium in gentrification where there is a genuine social mix without inundation by candle shops and purveyors of reflexology.” These words may have been uttered over seven years ago but – as far as we see it – this south-ofthe-river hotspot has only improved with age.

Head to North Street on a Saturday and be overcome with the urge to snap up a property just so you can be part of this bustling neighbourhood that has atmosphere (and independent shops) coming out of its ears. Don’t forget your recycled, sustainable shopping basket as you shop for anything from freshly baked bread to theatre tickets, fabrics, greetings cards and more. Needless to say, there are countless places to grab a skinny latte, a stomach-filling meal or a sneaky pint (microbrewed, naturally). more @NorthStreetBS3, @Southvillenews

I started selling bread from our bakery in 2009. The shop had no signage, just a brown paper bag in the window with ‘bread for sale’ written on it, and the smell of bread baking. The magic properties of bread inspire me. The alchemy that transforms flour, water and salt into a lovely crusty loaf. The camaraderie and conversation (not always repeatable) that comes from making bread with others. The connection with community. The satisfaction from seeing customers pick up a loaf and go: ‘Ooh! It’s still warm.’ The most challenging thing about my job is listening to the alarm go off on a cold winter’s morning. And trying to make a consistent product in an inconsistent world. My grandmother was a culinary inspiration to me. Here is her recipe for ‘Bread and Pullit’: The cupboards are bare and all we have to eat is bread and you pull it. We offer our version of Bread and Pullit in the café… more

marksbread.co.uk

As we reported last issue, not-for-profit community interest company the Bristol Pound launched a citywide competition to find eight new designs to feature on its bank notes. Those fleet of foot and sharp of pencil will still be able to enter the competition, which runs until 16 March. The winning designs will be chosen and announced at a public event on 26 March and the new notes will be available to use from 30 June. more bristolpound.org, @BristolPound 36 shipshapebristol.co.uk

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independents: southville

Bristol Pound accounts can be opened at bristolpound.org/signup

compuwave computers

the steam crane

southville deli

Independent business priding itself on its professional, friendly and affordable computer service for business and home users. In addition to everything computer related – from printer installation to custombuilt machines – they also undertake audio, TV and games console repairs.

This historic Bedminster boozer has established itself as one of the best craft beer pubs in the city since Stephen Wallace took ownership in 2014. Alongside the range of beers and ales, you’ll find a fantastic menu (including a great Sunday roast) and bands performing every weekend.

Popular deli serving up a range of organic and wholefoods, Herbert’s Bakery breads, local cheeses, olives and cold meats alongside gluten- and wheat-free, vegetarian and vegan products. Once you’re done with the shopping, relax at one of the pavement tables with a cappuccino.

237 North St, BS3 1JJ, 0117 963 1111 txt2pay: compuwave @CompuwaveCom

4-6 North St, BS3 1HT, 0117 923 1656 txt2pay: steamcrane @thesteamcrane

262 North St, BS3 1JA, 0117 966 4507 txt2pay: sdeli

grenville wick

ivory flowers

mark’s bread

The shop formerly known as Cardiac stocks a super selection of greetings cards, wrapping paper and jewellery. You can also pick up a bag of your favourite sweets by the ounce, from rhubarb and custards to bonbons, sherbert dips and more.

Xanthe Ivory at Ivory Flowers creates pretty, loose and natural arrangements and bouquets using seasonal and locally grown fresh flowers. Bouquets start from £20. Wedding bouquets and arrangements also offered, alongside funeral flowers.

Brilliant craft bakery making and selling handmade bread. Mark’s only uses organic flour, most loaves are made with naturally occurring ‘wild’ yeast, and they would never add additives, improvers or stabilisers. Arrive early, though – Mark’s is overrun come Saturday morning.

253 North St, BS3 1JN, 0117 378 1485 txt2pay: cardiac

228 North St, BS3 1JD, 0117 953 3892 txt2pay: ivoryflowers @TheIvoeryFlowers

291 North St, BS3 1JU, 0117 953 7997, txt2pay: marksbread @Marks_Bread

Alehouse and kitchen

Organic and wholefoods

PC and laptop support

Greetings cards, gifts and sweets

Fresh arrangements and bouquets

Traditional craft bakery

37 @shipshapemag

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27/02/2015 14:36

Eating & drinking A guide to our favourite restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs

Pete Dunford At Aquila

Where or when are you happiest? I am happy most of the time but having dinner with my girlfriend is probably the highlight – food is always involved! What’s the most challenging thing about your job? The constant need for improvement. If you stand still in this industry it really shows. We’ve made improvements daily since we opened. And the most rewarding? Simply being in the restaurant when it is filled with people enjoying their experience. Bristol has a great reputation for food these days and we are proud to be a part of it. What’s on the menu this spring? Keeping our menu authentic, fresh and seasonal is key. Head chef Emilio wouldn’t have it any other way. My favourite dish is sliced ribeye steak served with a balsamic glaze, rocket pesto and Parmesan cream. What are you eating for lunch? Luckily for me it is menu-tasting day. Today we have beef carpaccio and roasted monkfish. It’s a tough life, but someone has to do it.

pic: Adam Gasson

The restaurater talks to us about what’s on the menu in spring and the secret of his success

Bristol Food Connections Taking place from 1-9 May, the revolutionary food event returns with healthy helpings of good food, talks, hands-on workshops and more What’s the deal?

Following its wildly successful inaugural outing last year, Food Connections returns to the city in May to “help the people of Bristol connect with good food and create lasting change”. How do they do that?

Lorna Knapman, Event Director, says: “By implementing projects designed to change the way people eat, and by bringing people from all sections of the community together through good food, the event aims to create change that will be felt long after Food Connections finishes.” Righto. So what’s planned?

Tell us a secret. The secret to success in business is surrounding yourself with the right people. Recruit the right people and you will see the results. more

aquila-restaurant.com

hosted by Slow Food International and the communal feast for 5,000 people created using food waste. Can I get my hands dirty?

Absolutely! The GROW festival consists of activities, talks and hands-on workshops around subjects as various as composting, vertical growing and bees. There are also talks to help budding foodies become the next big bloggers, chefs, food stylists and restaurateurs. Anything else worth mentioning?

The Cook and Converse events bring together those who face challenges in putting good food on the table with community leaders, health workers and decision makers. Over lunch, they’ll discuss issues like how to prepare low-cost, nutritious meals.

More than 200 events over nine days (1-9 May), since you ask. This year Where can I find out more? they’ve divided the events into six themes: land and growing; wellbeing; Visit the website or follow them on feasting and festivities; get cooking; Facebook or Twitter brain food; and families. We like the more bristolfoodconnections.com look of the forgotten foods market 38 shipshapebristol.co.uk

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27/02/2015 16:17

e at i n g & d r i n k i n g

pic: Adam Gasson

recipe Ramen with hoisin glazed Jerusalem artichokes, duck egg and ginger Scott Hislop, Executive Chef at The Canteen & No.1 Harbourside Ingredients (serves 4, around 500 calories per serving) 1 pack of pak choi; 2 cloves garlic; 500g Jerusalem artichokes; 4 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp miso paste; 250ml hoisin sauce; 1l water; 500g fresh egg noodles; 2 duck eggs For garnish 2 scallions; 50g fresh red chillies; 1 bunch coriander; 1 bunch chives; 1 jar pickled ginger; 1 jar stem ginger; 1 handful fresh ginger

While the welcoming first shoots of spring are evident all around us the chilly winter evenings are perfect for this rich broth of seasonal vegetables and springy fresh noodles. This vegetarian ramen soup gets its full flavour from several different umami-rich ingredients like Jerusalem artichokes and miso paste. The artichokes slow-cooked with hoisin give a nutty ‘moreish’ depth that would rival most proteins. This vegetable is not truly an artichoke but a variety of sunflower with a lumpy, brown-skinned tuber that often resembles a ginger root. Contrary to what the name implies, this vegetable has nothing to do with Jerusalem but is derived instead from the Italian word for sunflower, girasole. Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients: they can all be found in most supermarkets and Bristol has an excellent range of Asian speciality stores giving a mouth-watering selection and varieties of this basic recipe.

generous pinch of pickled ginger (I could eat a whole jar in one sitting!) and a couple of grated balls of stem ginger. Preheat a pan with boiling water a place the eggs in for 7-10 mins depending if you want soft or hard yolk. Place in iced water, then peel and cut in half. The broth: In a medium pot, heat 2tsp of oil on medium. Add the garlic and pak choi stems. Cook 1-2 minutes or until slightly softened and fragrant. Stir in the water, miso and soy sauce. Bring to the boil then reduce heat mediumlow. Simmer the broth for 6-8 mins.

While the broth is simmering: In a large pan heat a couple tsp of oil on high. Add the pre-boiled artichokes and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown on all sides, stirring occasionally. With the pan still on the burner, but with the heat off, pour the hoisin sauce over the artichokes and Prepare your ingredients: Wash and toss to thoroughly coat. Set aside. dry the fresh produce. Roughly chop the Add fresh noodles and pak choi green leaves and stems of the pak choi leaves to the broth. Increase the heat and coriander. Peel and mince the garlic. to medium-high and cook for 2-4 Thinly slice the scallions, chives & mins, or until the noodles are al dente, peeled fresh ginger. Thoroughly wash stirring occasionally. artichokes but keep the skin on. Put the artichokes in cold water and Plate it up: Divide the noodle broth bring to the boil and simmer until they and vegetables between 4 bowls and are cooked – they should be firm but top with glazed artichokes and duck giving to pressure. egg. Garnish with the chillies, chives, Mix the fresh ginger with a ginger, scallions and coriander.

things to do this spring Join Cycle the City’s passionate beer drinker and ale enthusiast on the Bristol Ale Trail, which takes you around some of Bristol’s award-winning ale pubs. Your guide and beer expert will have you tasting, talking and laughing all the way to the the finest pints the city has to offer. For those averse to ale, Cycle the City also run a Wine Tasting Tour – a scenic journey through Bristol’s best English and organic wines. Both tours promise to be intimate, informal and alfresco (weather permitting). more cyclethecity.org 39 @shipshapemag

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e at i n g & d r i n k i n g

aquila

arnolfini

The barley mow

Bright, buzzing café-bar

Bristol Beer Factory’s beer paradise

It was a new beginning for Italian dining in Bristol as Aquila (meaning ‘Eagle’) opened its doors in the Old City late last year. This modern destination delivers the very best of traditional Italian dishes in the most sumptuous surroundings. Head chef Emilio Titillo, who hails from Naples, has created a menu filled with regional Italian dishes not normally found on other restaurants’ menus. To complement, there’s an extensive wine list with many organic and biodynamic options.

This stylish, buzzing eatery serves up an inspired menu using locally sourced ingredients: find vegan, veggie and traditional breakfasts, sandwiches, daily specials as well as delicious home-made cakes and pastries. To drink, try expertly made coffee from Extract Coffee Roasters or choose from a small but perfectly balanced global wine list, made by small, independent producers. Beers and ciders come from Somerset and beyond. Find outdoor seating right on the Harbourside.

Dishes: Bruschetta Aquila (£5.95); ragu Napoletano – tagliatelle with slow-cooked brisket pork ribs (£6.95/£10.95); calamari grigliati – grilled squid served on a pea cream with confit cherry tomatoes (£15.95); pizza Mediterranea – mozzarella, tomatoes and roasted vegetables (£9.95); panna cotta (£6.45) Times: 10am-midnight, food orders 11.30am-10.30pm Book: bookings@aquila-restaurant. com, 0117 321 0322

Dishes: Sausages with mustard mash and red wine gravy (£7.95); chickpea fritters with lemon and coriander yoghurt (£4); home-made cakes. Food served every day 10am-4pm Times: from 10am daily Book: cafebar@arnolfini.org.uk 0117 917 2305

One of Bristol’s best craft beer pubs, blending traditional with modern with its cosy interior, open fire and courtyard garden. Nestled between Temple Meads and Old Market, the Barley Mow’s location away from the hubbub of the centre makes it a pub that’s worth seeking out. The menu changes monthly with plenty of different styles of beer to suit the style of food. Celebrate American Independence Day with us or have a thigh-slapping September with our Reinheitsgebot German beer festival. Wonderful tasty Sunday Roasts.

30-34 Baldwin St, BS1 1NR 0117 321 0322

16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA 0117 917 2305

39 Barton Road, St Philips, BS2 0LF 0117 930 4709

@aquilabristol aquila-restaurant.com

@ArnolfiniCafe arnolfini.org.uk

facebook.com/ barleymowbristol barleymowbristol.com

Modern Italian family-run restaurant

Dishes: Beef chilli cheese fries, jalapenos (£5); cheeseburger, fries, cornichons (£9); beer-battered fish and chips (£9); buffalo wings, blue cheese dip (£4.50) Times: Mon-Thu 12-11pm, Fri-Sat 1211.30pm, Sun 12-10pm. Food served: Mon-Sat 12-3pm and 5-9pm, Sun roasts from 12pm Book: hello@barleymowbristol.com

40 shipshapebristol.co.uk

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27/02/2015 14:12

and by Bath chen eakfast, as a nds

complement these fantastic products we have a drinks list that has been influenced by Spain: 12 wines all available by the glass, a selection of sherries, ports and bottled beers reminiscent of your last beach holiday. @gorditobristol gordito@bathales.co.uk Tel: 0117 204 7130 Mon-Sat 4pm-11pm

colston st bar & kitchen

e at i n g & d r i n k i n g

glassboat

grain barge

Located on the floating harbour in the heart of Bristol, Glassboat affords spectacular views of the city and Harbourside. Head chef Charlie Hurrell has created a menu that has wide appeal – a mix of sophisticated bistro classics inspired by the very best of British and French dishes. Glassboat is a restaurant to suit any occasion – whether it’s for lunch or dinner with friends, a business breakfast or lunch, or to celebrate a special occasion, Glassboat is a unique and versatile choice.

With its panoramic views, great food and excellent range of craft beers, the Grain Barge is one of the harbour’s most well-loved floating venues. There’s a Monday quiz night, Wednesday pie and pint, Thursday steak night, live music in the hold bar on Friday nights, plus many regular events. Over spring and summer, the outdoor deck is a highly sought-after spot in the harbour. The specials menu is updated daily using fresh local produce, bread and pies are made on the premises and there’s a top-notch Sunday roast. The hold bar is a great venue for private parties.

Sophisticated bistro classics

Hearty meals and craft beers

Brand-new venture from Bath Ales

y day.

co.uk

Fantastic new café-bar from local independent brewer Bath Ales, located in the bright and airy nd terrace barssurroundings open one hour before Hall. shows of Colston n throughout. WeKnown serve a range drinks and lovedoffor theirinflagship gs, the highlight beer being our Bath third Ales ﬂoor runs terrace bar. Gem, 10 pubs, bars and restaurants in the South West – including Graze and The Hare On The Hill in Bristol – and has forged a reputation for the high quality of its venues. Colston St. Bar and Kitchen is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Choose from an American and Europeaninspired menu alongside a range of Bath Ales beers, wine list and hot and cold drinks. Times: Mon-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 10am-10.30pm, food served all day, every day Book: colstonbar@bathales.co.uk

Colston Hall, Colston St, BS1 5AR 0117 204 7131 @colstonstbar

Dishes: Crispy frog’s legs, parsley risotto, Bayonne ham (£7); lemon sole, shrimp butter, vegetable garniture (£20); chocolate parfait, candied orange, macaron Times: breakfast: Mon-Sun 8-11.30am; lunch: Mon-Sat 12-3pm & Sun 12-4pm; dinner: Mon-Sat 5.30-10pm Book: restaurant@glassboat.co.uk Offer: Early Bird Dinner, available Mon-Sat 5.30-7pm, two-courses for £15 or three courses for £20

Dishes: Moules frites (£12); pan-fried smoked paprika chicken, melted cheddar and herb mayo sandwich (£7.20); yogurt panacotta, nut crumble, roasted rhubarb (£4) Times: Mon-Thu 12-11pm, Fri-Sat 12-11.30pm, Sun 12-11pm Book: hello@grainbarge.co.uk Offer: Lunch specials – two courses for £10, three for £12

Welsh Back, BS1 4SB 0117 332 3971

Mardyke Wharf, BS8 4RU 0117 929 9347

glassboat.co.uk

grainbarge.co.uk

41 @shipshapemag

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27/02/2015 14:02

e at i n g & d r i n k i n g

lido restaurant, spa & pool

myristica

No.1 Harbourside

The Lido is an oasis of calm in the heart of Bristol, where chef Freddy Bird presides over two floors of poolside dining. It’s the only choice for great food and relaxation. As well as lunch and dinner the poolside bar serves breakfast from 8am-11.30am, tapas from noon until 10pm.

Voted the Best Curry House at the British Curry Awards 2013 and named one of the top 20 Indian restaurants in Britain by The Telegraph, Myristica is one of the highlights of the harbour’s impressive dining landscape. The menu features a range of beautifully crafted dishes from across the Indian subcontinent. Kick off with baby squid deep-fried and tossed with bell peppers, chilli flakes and honey, and move on to pista murgh (breast of chicken in a mild cream sauce with ground pistachios and saffron). Then round things off with a luxuriant chocolate samosa dessert and ice cream.

Rather wonderful restaurant, bar, music venue and birthplace of the weekend Harbourside market. The restaurant offers a delicious small plates menu and holds the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s highest rating of three stars. The bar serves a wide range of brewedin-Bristol craft beers, Somerset ciders, specialist spirits and a European wine list featuring some great English whites from just down the road. If live music is your thing, catch the best of Bristol’s musical talent on the little stage on Wednesday to Saturday nights – visit no1harbourside.co.uk/music for listings and current menu.

Dishes: Rabbit varuval (£6.95); achari venison (£12.95); okra stir fry (£4.95); chocolate samosas (£3.45) Times: lunch: Mon-Fri 12-2pm; dinner: Mon-Sat 5.30-11.30pm, Sun 5.30-10.30pm (last orders at 10pm) Book: myristica.co.uk

Dishes: Confit of Wye Valley lamb breast, garden pea puree and Leigh Woods wild garlic salsa (£5); Lyme Bay crab ravioli with fennel bisque and Rosary Farm ewe’s curd (£8) Times: Mon-Thu 12-3pm & 5-10pm, Fri 12-3pm & 5-9pm, Sat 12-4pm & 5-9pm; Sun 12-4pm Book: ahoy@no1harbourside.co.uk

Oakfield Place, BS8 2BJ 0117 933 9530

51 Welsh Back, BS1 4AN 0117 927 2277

1 Canons Road, BS1 5UH 0117 929 1100

lidobristol.com

myristica.co.uk

no1harbourside.co.uk

Fine Indian dining

Colourful and friendly dockside venue

European-inspired dishes

Dishes: Crab, apple, tarragon & paprika on toast (£8); Iberico pig’s cheeks, cooked in Asturian cider, parsnip and vanilla purée, watercress, apple (£17.50); Amaretto cherry and pistachio tart, or freshly churned Lido ice cream Times: restaurant: 12-3pm and 6-10pm, closed Sun evening; spa: 7am-10pm; poolside bar: Mon-Sat from 8am, Sun from 9am Book: spa@lidobristol.com

43 @shipshapemag

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27/02/2015 14:13

e at i n g & d r i n k i n g

st nicholas market

Global flavours, local ingredients

shakespeare tavern

three brothers burgers

The longest-serving ale house in Bristol serves up an appetising mix of good-value food and quality beers for Harbourside regulars. Great deals include a sandwich, side and drink for £6.99, burger, fries and a drink for £8.49 and a sharing platter plus a bottle of wine for £15.49. Behind the bar, choose from seven cask ales (including the pub’s very own Shakespeare ale), draught cider and lager and more than 15 types of wine. CAMRA members receive a discount on cask ales.

After opening in the summer, Three Brothers Burgers is now fully established in its picturesque Harbourside spot, the former site of Spyglass. Sister venue The Lido’s chef Freddy Bird and head chef Joey MacGibbon (who cut his teeth at acclaimed London restaurants Moro and Trullo) have worked together to create a lipsmacking menu of hand-pressed burgers (using 28-day aged prime Herefordshire beef), subs, dogs, wings and achingly-good sides (chilli cheese fries, pickles).

Traditional Harbourside pub

“To walk the 18th-century corridors of Bristol’s St Nicholas Market is to witness how British food can be successfully redefined,” says The Telegraph of this much-loved hub in the heart of the Old City. Originally built in 1741, a market has been held on this site since 1831 and The Exchange even doubled up as a live music venue, hosting everyone from the Rolling Stones to Cream, Spencer Davis and The Yardbirds. Today, the streets are filled with independent traders, selling everything from health-boosting juices to belly-filling baps, pies, pittas, curries, cakes and more. Every Wednesday the awardwinning Farmers’ Market gives shoppers the chance to buy local delicacies directly from producers and on Friday the Food Market rolls in, giving you the chance to sample the very best in street food.

The Exchange, Corn Street, BS1 1JQ 0117 922 4014

Dishes: Hand-battered fish and seasoned chips (£8.99); gourmet burger (£9.49); Sunday roast (£9.49) Times: Mon-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12am, Sun 11am-11pm Book: @shakespearestav, facebook.com/theshakespearetavern

Floating diner

Menu highlights: Burgers, deep-fried

pickles, hot dogs grilled to order and Philly cheese steak. Drinks: a range of craft beers, cocktails, picklebacks (a shot of bourbon followed by a shot of pickle brine, if you don’t know), milkshakes Times: Mon-Fri 12pm-late, open from 11am Sat & Sun

68 Prince Street, BS1 4QD 0117 929 7695

bristol.gov.uk/stnicks @stnicksmarket

Welsh Back, BS1 4SB

threebrothers.co

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e at i n g & d r i n k i n g

tobacco factory

Watershed CAFé/bar

ZeroDegrees

Large café bar and social hub with a great atmosphere, art exhibitions, live music, life drawing, quiz nights and many events, including an art market during the Southbank Bristol Arts Trail on 16 & 17 May. The kitchen serves a British/Mediterranean-inspired menu with seasonal evening and weekend specials and many gluten-free options, and the bar has a wide range of local craft beers. The Sunday market has locally produced food and crafts, and extends into Raleigh Road on the first Sunday of the month, alongside the monthly vintage market.

Open every day from early in the morning to late at night, Watershed Café/Bar offers breakfast, lunch and evening meals all following a simple policy: stay fresh, local and seasonal. The ‘plot to plate’ policy means all ingredients are sourced from local suppliers, so you can eat a healthy, balanced menu while supporting the local economy. The bar stocks local favourites like Cotswold Lager and Cider, Arbor Ales and Bath Ales alongside a range of bottled drinks (which can be taken into the cinema), spirits, wines and hot and cold drinks. Free Wi-Fi is available to use throughout the Café/Bar.

Following its £350,000 refurbishment, Bristol craft brewing institution Zerodegrees now features a top-floor dining room, expansive, flexible drinking space below, expanded seating in the walled garden and a new awning and sliding glass doors on the roof terrace. At the heart of the operation is the craft brewery, which serves up the sights, smells and sounds of a working brewery. Try Zerodegrees’ own pilsner, pale ale, black lager and wheat ale alongside wines, ‘beertails’ and cocktails.

Contemporary café-bar

Menu highlights: Lamb, chorizo & chickpea stew with home-made naan bread (£13.50); goat’s cheese & herbstuffed butternut squash with salad and raspberry vinaigrette (£10.50); fried sardines with dill & lemon mayo (£6); plus a wide choice of tapas and light dishes Times: Mon-Thu 12-11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-12am, Sun 10am-11pm Book: 0117 902 0060

Social space serving seasonal food

Menu highlights: Charcuterie board (£8); seasonal vegetable tart (£5); slow-roasted belly of pork baguette (£7); Watershed fish and chips (£11); hot chocolate brownie (£3.50) Times: Mon 10am-11pm, Tue-Fri 9.30am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10.30pm Book: cafebar@watershed.co.uk

Menu highlights: Crispy fried calamari (£6.25); salmon and mascarpone pizza (£13.50); Thai linguine (£11.95); pecan pie with salted caramel pizza (£5.25) Times: Mon-Sat 12pm-12am, Sun 12pm-11pm Book: bristol@zerodegrees.co.uk Offers: Order any main course and get the second free (Mon-Fri 123pm). Two-for-one on cocktails every Thursday 5-11pm.

Raleigh Road, BS3 1TF 0117 902 0060

1 Canons Road, BS1 5TX 0117 927 5101

53 Colston St, BS1 5BA 0117 925 2706

tobaccofactory.com

watershed.co.uk

zerodegrees.co.uk/bristol

45 @shipshapemag

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a good read

Spring books

The team at Arnolfini’s marvellous bookshop cherry-pick the five books that should be making their way to our coffee tables this spring 1. The Spectators by Victor Hussenot (Nobrow £14.99). A beautiful new graphic novel from one of France’s most exciting young cartoonists, featuring stunning watercolour illustrations and pushes the limits of what comics can do. 2. The Game of Tops and Tails by Hervé Tullet (Phaidon £7.95). A fun mix and match game where a man can hold an elephant, a camel can stand on a house and a mountain can be lifted by a finger. We have three other exciting, new Hervé Tullet board books which are perfect for ages three and up. 3. Magnificent Obsessions: The Artist as Collector by Lydia Yee (Prestel £37.50). This revealing new book looks at the collections of artists such as Martin Parr and Damien Hirst, examining the psychology behind collecting and how these objects influence and reflect their work. 4. Breakfast with Lucian by Geordie Grieg (Vintage £16.99). This fascinating memoir of Lucian Freud is compiled from 10 years’ worth of conversations with the artist and recounts his escape from Nazi Germany and the time he painted the Queen. 5. The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel by Matt Zoller Seitz (Abrams Books £21.99). Matt Zoller Seitz dedicates this volume wholly to The Grand Budapest Hotel, giving detailed accounts of the filming process plus interviews, behindthe-scenes photos and artwork. It’s a stunning book to accompany a stunning film. more arnolfini.org.uk,

@ArnolfiniShop 46 shipshapebristol.co.uk

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